Surviving February
by AkiraDawn
Summary: Raising even the most well behaved kids is still a challenge. What happens when Denzel's problems hit too close to home for Cloud and Marlene becomes a social butterfly? Thank god Tifa knows how to handle all of this. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Denzel's Dilemma

Surviving February

Another 'Strife Family' installment! I hope that you enjoy it!

I don't own Final Fantasy, it belongs to Square Enix

February was the harshest of months. The past couple weeks had been brutally cold. It would have been an even rougher February had Cloud and Tifa not purchased a car in November. That had been a fiasco because collectively they had a thousand things that the car couldn't be. It couldn't be a SUV, it couldn't be this, it couldn't be that, it had to be black, it had to have a certain color interior and it sure as hell couldn't be some boxy van. They felt like real suburbanites now that they were car owners. That wasn't the only major purchase that had come in to the Strife home. On February 15th Cloud gave Tifa the diamond ring he had been saving for since he had given her the diamond earrings in May. He never told her there was a ring that matched those earrings. In fact, he never told anyone about it….except Zack and not even he was the best at keeping a secret. It was a perfect match to their 'wedding' band set. So why February 15th? It was simple; Cloud wasn't going to be the loser who gave his wife a 4.5 carat diamond on February 14th…god no. They were not _that_ couple. There was that and it wasn't even officially paid for until February 15th and he couldn't have it until the last payment posted.

It was a Thursday and the kids were home from a snow day. Actually, it had been an ice storm which meant deliveries were grounded and business at the bar was booming. There was more ice predicted to come through that night and so Marlene and Denzel had been glued to the local weather since 11:30 that day. They had school the previous day and were sitting on the couch doing homework with Vincent. "Now carry the two." He said pointing to a problem on Denzel's notebook paper.

"Huh?" Denzel questioned looking at his work.

"You missed a step. Watch." Vincent scribbled some numbers onto a scrap piece of paper. "See? This step here. I think that's why you're getting confused."

"Oh! Okay! I think I get it. Let me try it again." Denzel said erasing his work. Vincent had Denzel on one side of him and Marlene on the other. Marlene was writing furiously on some kind of essay. "There, I did it!" Denzel said showing Vincent.

"You got it. Now do the next one so I know that you understand it." Vincent said. "Alright, girl let me read what you've got on your essay. Marlene handed her essay over and hopped up off the floor onto the couch. Vincent looked so strange sitting there with two kids in _normal _clothes.

"All done." Denzel said shoving his paper toward Vincent. He glanced over Denzel's work.

"Good, now go ahead and finish up this page. It looks like you have ten problems to go." Vincent said picking up Marlene's essay again. Vincent was here with Marlene and Denzel because Cloud was at work and he wouldn't be home for another four hours and Tifa was downstairs working the bar. Cloud and Tifa didn't mind leaving Marlene and Denzel alone when she was just downstairs but Vincent dropped in at least once a week to help Marlene and Denzel since their schoolwork was getting harder and harder as the year went on.

"I hope we have another snow day tomorrow." Denzel said glancing up at the weatherman on TV.

"I don't! If we have another snow day that means it will be too bad to go to the movies tomorrow night. It's a double date you know." Marlene said. It wasn't really a 'date' but she sure thought it was.

"I know you want to go and everything but I just don't want to go to school." Denzel admitted. That was unlike him. He loved school and his teacher and of course his little friends.

"I've never heard you say such a thing, Denzel." Vincent said.

"Yeah well…I just…there's this kid at school and…he's being a bully to me." Denzel said. Vincent looked at him with serious eyes.

"Have you talked to Cloud about it?" he asked of Denzel. Denzel shook his head.

"Just Marlene. I don't want Cloud to worry about it. It's not like it's just me. He's bullying other kids too."

"What about your teacher? Have you at least told your teacher that this is going on?" Vincent asked.

"Yeah, Mrs. Murray is really nice and she knows its happening. But, he doesn't do it in her class. He does it at lunch and at recess and during our Friday Free time. It's not her fault she isn't there when it happens. Besides, I don't want people to think I'm a baby and that I can't stand up for myself." Denzel said.

"Denzel, no one is going to think you're a baby. You really need to talk to Cloud or Tifa about this. You'll feel better and you never know they may be able to help." Vincent said.

"That's just it though, I don't want them rushing in to save me." Denzel said staring at his math book.

"But you said there are other kids being bullied too. If you step up and talk about it you might be that voice for the other kids that aren't saying anything to anyone. A bully is nothing to try and handle yourself Denzel." Vincent said. Since when did Vincent have all this knowledge regarding the issues kids have to deal with? The answer was simple; much like Cloud he was raising one that wasn't his because he had recently gotten back together with an old girlfriend who had a son from a previous and short lived marriage. He wasn't really 'raising' her son though; he didn't have custody or anything like that the way Cloud did over Marlene and Denzel. And Vincent by all means wasn't a father to his girlfriend's son.

"Maybe you're right. I'm just a little scared to bring it up but I really want it to stop too. I don't like waking up every morning and dreading going to school." Denzel said.

"That's exactly what you need to tell Cloud or Tifa." Vincent reassured him. Denzel shook his head.

"Thanks Vincent." Denzel said.

"See, Denzel? I was right. I told him that he should tell Cloud about it." Marlene said.

"You advised him well. Alright, now for your essay. I stopped reading after the third paragraph; let me finish what you have so far." Vincent said returning to Marlene's essay. The forecast had changed for the worst and the weather man had broken into a regularly scheduled program to show a band of ice moving toward Midgar.

"Look Denzel!" Marlene pointed to the screen. Denzel shot his eyes up to the TV only to see the pink colored band representing ice moving across the screen. It was a wide band too.

"You won't have school tomorrow; not by the looks of that thing." Vincent said. The three of them spent the afternoon finishing up homework and watching the periodic weather updates. It was gray and cold outside; it certainly looked like storm clouds out there. The wind was moving too; it was just a nasty day. At 3:30 that afternoon Cloud came through the door with a handful of mail.

"Hey." Cloud said closing the door behind him to quickly keep the cold air of the drafty stairway out of the apartment.

"Hey, how are the roads out there?" Vincent asked.

"Okay for now, but it's starting to ice a little. Did you two get your homework done with Vincent?" Cloud asked pulling the orange flavored Hi-C out of the refrigerator. There was always some kind of delicious sugary beverage in the fridge.

"Yep! We're all done! Can I have some of that with you?" Marlene asked hurrying over to the small kitchen.

"Of course you can." Cloud said.

"I want some too." Denzel said putting his math book aside.

"Denzel." Vincent said. He gave Denzel a look and then stood up. Denzel shook his head in agreement.

"Listen, I'm going to go before it gets too bad out there. I'm going to see if Charlotte needs anything." Vincent said. Apparently Charlotte was girlfriend.

"Alright, thanks for staying with them this afternoon and helping them out with their homework." Cloud said.

"It's no problem. See you later." And with that, Vincent slipped down the steps and into the cold.

"Did you two eat lunch with Vincent?" Cloud asked sitting across the counter from Marlene and Denzel. He took his watch off and laid it on the counter.

"We made popcorn shrimp and hushpuppies and coleslaw." Marlene said. Denzel laughed.

"Vincent can't cook anything can he? Me and Marlene had to show him how to fry the hushpuppies."

"Vincent is good at a lot of things…I'm not surprised that's not one of them." Cloud said. "Thank goodness he doesn't have to cook a lot."

"Do you think we'll have school tomorrow?" Marlene asked.

"Probably not." Cloud answered her.

"That means I can't go to the movies tomorrow night doesn't it?" Marlene went on.

"I don't know. We'll see." Cloud promised her. The phone ring and Marlene scurried off to answer it. "That's Stella! It has to be Stella!" she said rushing to her room with her glass of Hi-C.

"What should I make for Tifa tonight? It has to be something we have here. I'm not going back out into the cold." Cloud asked Denzel looking in the cabinet above the refrigerator.

"I know! She likes that cheesy tuna pasta. Make her that!" Denzel said.

"You're a genius. You know, even Vincent could make that. It's just…open a bunch of pouches and dump them in a skillet. " Cloud said sitting a box on the kitchen counter and then diving underneath the sink to look for a skillet. Denzel took a deep breath and turned his glass in circles on the counter.

"Cloud? Can…I talk to you about something?" Denzel asked.

"Of course you can." Cloud said still searching underneath the sink.

"You have to promise me you won't think I'm a baby." Denzel said.

"I promise." Cloud finally found the pan he was looking for. Denzel took another deep breath.

"Okay…I'm…I'm being bullied at school." Denzel said staring at the counter top. Cloud hadn't had this serious a look on his face in a long, long time.

"You're being bullied? Who is it? How long has it been? Does your teacher know? I'll call the school." Cloud said putting the skillet down. He was on a near instant rampage for the phone.

"No, no! Wait a minute. Just…hold on. There won't be anybody at school. It's not just me. He's bullying other kids in my class too. Mrs. Murray knows about it but it happens at times when she's not around. It's been going on for two weeks now. His name is Steven Sunderlin. His dad's an attorney." Denzel explained. Cloud stopped his phone rampage and returned to the skillet.

"What's he doing to you?" Cloud asked him seriously.

"Well, he says really bad things to me. He calls me a poor orphan and a slum rag. He brags about how much money his dad has and stuff. He says that he's not friends with poor kids only rich kids. He makes fun of me and my friends. One day at lunch he poured milk all over me and Kai and Will and he called us all poor loser scum." Denzel explained. Why this kid was targeting Denzel was a mystery…collectively Cloud and Tifa made 102,000 gil a year after taxes…that was good, good money. "Cloud? You haven't blinked in a really long time." Denzel said. He was mortified. No one in hell's name was going to bully _his _son. Of course, Cloud may have been taking this all a little too personally.

"What have you done about it?" Cloud asked finally snapping out of his moment of pure horror.

"Well…nothing. I don't know what to do. I've told Mrs. Murray and she's told Mrs. Yamato, the principal. But, since he's picking on us at all the wrong times there's nothing we can do. And I don't want to get in trouble for something that's not my fault and Steven lies all the time about stuff to Mrs. Murray. She knows it though." Denzel said.

"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" Cloud asked opening a can of tuna. Denzel shrugged his shoulders.

"I was afraid you'd think I was stupid. I didn't want to be embarrassed by you rushing in to save me." Denzel admitted.

"I don't think you're stupid. I wish that I…never mind. Would you be embarrassed if me and Tifa talked to Kai's dad or Will's parents about this?" Cloud asked him.

"No." Denzel said.

"Would you be embarrassed if we talked to Mrs. Murray or Mrs. Yamato?" Cloud questioned him further.

"Not really. I'd just be embarrassed if Steven found out." Denzel said.

"Is it okay if I tell Tifa what you told me?" Cloud wondered.

"It's okay." Denzel said.

"Do you want to tell her?" Cloud was grating cheese furiously.

"No that's okay. You can tell her. She'll know what to do." Denzel said.

"You don't think I know what to do?" Cloud asked almost defensively.

"It's not that….of course I think you know what to do. It's just that Tifa's really good at calming you down when you _don't_ know what to do." Denzel said laughing at Cloud. That made Cloud smile.

"Yeah well…I'm a little embarrassed to tell you this but she's had a lot of practice." Cloud began throwing things into the skillet. "Think I shredded enough cheese?"

"Nah, I'll eat half of it. See?" Denzel said pinching a hunk of shredded cheese in his fingers.


	2. Tifa the Hero

"How is it?" Cloud asked watching a very tired Tifa practically inhale her dinner.

"It's good. Thanks for cooking this for me." Tifa said.

"We uh…we need to talk about something. Denzel is being bullied by some punk in his class." Cloud said softly enough so only Tifa could hear him.

"He is?" Tifa questioned.

"Yeah. I think I should just show him how to punch this kid's lights out and it will stop." Cloud said.

"You can't do that, honey. Then he'll just get in trouble for fighting at school even if it's not his fault." Tifa said. Cloud sighed.

"I know but…this is…it's…it's not fair, Tifa. Denzel said this has been going on for two weeks and it's some attorney's kid that's picking on him. Some rich kid that thinks he's better than everyone else. Tifa…I…" Cloud shook his head. He was having a hard time with this.

"Cloud…Denzel isn't you. Just because the other boys picked on you and your solution was to fight them doesn't mean that's going to work for Denzel." Tifa said.

"I know but…it does something to you. Being bullied just makes you feel like you've got to constantly look behind you. This is another example of me failing to protect the ones I love." Cloud said. This could turn in to a self pity party very quickly.

"No, no. Don't you start that. There is no way you could ever protect Denzel from being bullied, Cloud. Sure your dad wasn't there to even attempt to protect you but even if he would have been there would have been nothing he could have done. All we can do is help Denzel…we can't protect him because we can't go to school with him. But what we can do is talk to his teacher, talk to the principal and make them aware that we know what's going on. We will get him through this. We will." Tifa said confidently. Cloud wasn't quite convinced but mainly because he was projecting his own issues onto Denzel's situation. He watched Tifa eat her dinner for a moment without saying anything.

"I know that you're right…it's just hard to accept that…I'm powerless here." Cloud said.

"But you aren't powerless. Just listening to Denzel and reassuring him that it will stop gives you all the power you need." Tifa said shoving an empty plate toward Cloud. She wasn't done by any means; she wanted more. "Cloud, he adores you so much. Denzel knows that if you tell him it's going to be okay….then it sure it sure as hell is going to be okay." Cloud pushed Tifa's plate back to her now that it was full once more.

"The kids picked on me because I was small. I mean, you know, you remember. I was ten and I looked seven. The other boys knew that I was too weak and puny to actually rough them up. It's different with Denzel. This rich kid is targeting kids who he _thinks_ or _deems_ as being poorer than him. This is the kind of stuff that…what can I tell him to do?" Cloud asked Tifa with pleading eyes. Tifa reached out and took his hand in hers.

"Who says you _have_ to tell him anything? He's not looking for advice, Cloud. He wants you to listen. He needs you to unload on. Don't worry yourself silly over this. We can't do anything until Monday anyway; the kids won't have school tomorrow. I'm sure Marlene will come running in here to give us a school update. She will slit someone's throat if she can't go to the movies tomorrow with Stella and those two boys." Tifa said.

"Wait…what? What two boys? There are boys going! No, no way. We need to tell her she can't go….like….tomorrow night or…ever." Cloud said. Great, there was now something else for him to get all bent out of shape over.

"It's okay. Stella's mom and one of the boys' dad is going." Tifa said.

"That doesn't matter. They're going to the _movies_. It's only the perfect opportunity for Marlene to be making out with two boys on either side of her!" Cloud insisted.

"Cloud, she's eleven and its not even a date." Tifa said. "They are all just going to the movies and maybe going back to Stella's house for a little while after."

"Do you not remember what eleven year old boys are like!" My god, there's all this…crap happening and you know how Marlene is! She's so pretty and everybody likes her and she's sweet and…she's you all over again. You know how I hated every other boy in Nibelheim that so much as looked at you! Well, I hate every boy that even thinks about looking at Marlene.' Cloud ranted.

"Well, the way I see it is that Marlene has looked forward to this all week. It's wonderful that she has girlfriends and boy friends…._boy_ friends…no boyfriends. She's not going to be making out with any boys, no one's going to be feeling her up, and no one's going to be doing any experimentation. Now, if you want to be the one to tell her she can't go…that's your baby. I won't object because we aren't going to be those parents that give their kids different answers. We are not going to be those parents that when one of us says no to something they want the other says yes." Tifa said. Cloud sighed. The score was Cloud 0 Tifa 2. He knew she was right. He was just letting his own past haunt him.

"You're right, you're exactly right. We're having card night tomorrow night with Yuffie, her boyfriend and Vincent anyway. Cid said he may stop by too. Marlene should go. I just know I'm going to worry about her, you know? I can't help it." Cloud said. Tifa finished her plate and stood up to take it over to the sink.

"Honey, I know you're going to worry about her. Of course you are. I'm going to worry about her too. But you know what? When you shelter kids and you project your own fears or…worries on them they eventually rebel. It's okay to worry about her. But we also can't keep her little forever." Tifa said running hot water over her plate. She dried her hands and turned around only to see a tear in Cloud's eye. "Come here, it's alright." Tifa said putting her arms around him and leaning her body in to his.

"I need you so much. You smell like…hard liquor and berries." He said helplessly as he clung to Tifa.

"I know I do. I need to take a shower and get out of these clothes." Tifa said holding on to him. She kissed his forehead.

"You know I sometimes wish all those kids that picked on me as a kid could see me now…God look at me, I'm married to a woman out of league that has all the answers and I'm not small anymore." Cloud said. Tifa laughed.

"Oooh Cloud…you're…you're still small. The difference now is that you're unbelievably sexy and your body is like….oh my god." Tifa said making herself comfortable on his lap.

"Name three people who are bigger than me?" Cloud asked putting his head against her collar bone.

"Vincent, Barret, Cid, Yuffie's boyfriend Jun, our landlord, the chef downstairs…" Cloud cut her off.

"I said three, not all of Midgar." Cloud said putting his hands up the back of Tifa's shirt. Tifa whispered something to him and laughed. It made Cloud smile.

"I am the best aren't I? See, it's good to be small sometimes, isn't it?" Cloud asked kissing her.

"Oh, it's incredibly good." Tifa said.

"Why haven't they cancelled school yet!" Marlene demanded rushing into the kitchen. She leaned in to Cloud and Tifa and put her arms around them. "I looked outside! There's already a lot of ice out there!"

"Don't worry, they'll cancel it. There's no way you'll have school tomorrow." Cloud reassured her.

"Wait…what about the movies tomorrow night? If school is cancelled does that mean I can't go?" Marlene asked for the second time today. The difference was that earlier Cloud didn't realize there were boys involved in this.

"Yeah, about this whole movie thing…" Cloud looked at Tifa. She just raised her eyebrows at him in a questioning fashion. It was as if to say 'what are you going to do now?' Cloud sighed.

"You can…still go if the roads are decent enough." He told her with some reluctance.

"Good! Because I really want to go!" Marlene insisted. She ran off again to park herself in front of the TV in her room. If the news anchor was going to cancel school she wasn't going to miss it.

"You did the right thing." Tifa told Cloud after Marlene had left.

"I hope so." his eyes were filled with worry.

"Now, about card night tomorrow? Do we have some stuff here to make or should I just ask the cooks downstairs to make something?" Tifa asked.

"Well, Yuffie's bringing something and Vincent said he would bring a couple things. If Cid is stopping by I'm sure I could call him and tell him to bring something as well." Cloud reminded her.

"Okay, that sounds like a good idea. Tell him to bring a pie or something." Tifa said sliding off Cloud's lap and heading for the shower.

"I'll tell him to bring two pies…and the good kind, not those lousy fruit pies." Cloud said getting the phone and walking over to the sliding glass door to see how much ice was coating the banister of their balcony. "Hey, what are you doing?" Cloud asked Cid on the other end of the phone. "Well that's…different. You coming by tomorrow night? Okay good, will you bring a couple of pies with you tomorrow night? No fruit pies, no custard and definitely no meringue. You're right, I'm requesting pies and I'm also telling you what kind of pies to bring." Cloud laughed at him. "Hey, don't you take that kind of language with me! Alright, alright that sounds great. We'll see you tomorrow. Okay, bye." Cloud hung up the phone and closed the floor length blinds that covered the sliding glass door. It was apparent by Denzel's excited clapping coming from his room that school had been cancelled.

"Denzel? Did school just get cancelled?" Marlene yelled to him from the hallway. There was a certain degree of disappointment in her voice.


	3. Friends

"Hey kiddo!" Yuffie said as Marlene threw both arms around her despite how full Yuffie's hands were.

"Guess what! I get to go to the movies tonight! How do I look? I get to leave really soon!" Marlene chattered on.

"You look pretty, honey." Yuffie said running her fingers of her free hand through Marlene's curly ponytail.

"Aunt Yuffie's here!' Denzel said excitedly.

"Hey, did you and Marlene drive each other crazy today?" she asked Denzel knowing that Cloud and Tifa had been at work while these two ran the house alone today.

"We never do that!" Denzel said laughing at Yuffie.

"Riiiight. No, you two would _never_ do such a thing. Here, put this in the oven. Bake it at 350 until it bubbles." Yuffie said handing a pan of something cheesy to Cloud.

"What is it?" Cloud asked.

"I don't know! It has cheese and chicken and tomato sauce and some other crap." Yuffie said putting a pan of rolls, her purse and a baggie full of poker chips down on the counter top. "They've treated the roads out there tonight, they are much better than when Jun went to work this morning." Yuffie explained.

"Hey, Yuffie, Jun come in." Tifa said appearing from the hallway.

"You look pretty, do you always look hot after you get home from work?" Yuffie asked running her fingers over Tifa's fluttery gray sweater tunic.

"Only for you." Tifa said to her. The phone rang and Marlene answered it quickly knowing that it just had to be her friend Stella and her mom downstairs to pick her up. She wasn't on the phone long.

"That was Stella! They are downstairs! Bye!" Marlene said hanging up the phone and quickly grabbing her coat.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! Hold on, come here!" Cloud insisted grabbing Marlene before she could get to the door. "I love you. You call any time if you want to come home. Have fun and be careful, okay?" Cloud said to Marlene hugging her against him.

"I will! I love you too!" Marlene said letting go of him.

"Do you have your gloves?" Cloud asked with his head out the door as she scurried down the stairs.

"Yes!" Marlene yelled back.

"Keep your coat zipped and…" Tifa grabbed Cloud by the back of his shirt and pulled him back inside the apartment. "Get in here. She's going to be fine." Tifa kissed him and proceeded to check on the thing Yuffie made Cloud put in the oven. It was unusual for her to kiss him in front of the likes of company. It was different if it was just Denzel or Marlene…but never in front of company. It sent a message…but maybe the message wasn't in her kiss…it was in her eyes. The message would be much clearer later…after everyone had left.

"Denzel do you want to eat what Aunt Yuffie brought or do you want me to make you something else?" Tifa asked.

"I'll eat what Aunt Yuffie brought." Denzel said sitting at the kitchen counter waiting for the dish to bake. Jun came over and put his hands on Denzel's shoulders, squeezing him. That always made Denzel laugh. Vincent was next to arrive.

"My god it's cold out there." Vincent said wiping his shoes on the mat in front of the door. "I have to admit, I didn't make any of this food I brought tonight. Charlotte made the dip, she made these little cocktail sausage things, and this wrap thing. She said just to cut it in to pieces.

"And why didn't she come with you tonight?" Yuffie demanded.

"She couldn't find a sitter for her son on a night like tonight." Vincent said sitting the covered plates down.

"You mean, I send my daughter out into a potential girls gone wild situation and your girlfriend can't find a sitter for a seven-year-old?" Cloud asked. Tifa shoved a glass of wine in his hand. Long ago Cloud and Tifa had made a pact to _never_ drink in front of the kids…but they quickly broke it when they realized how archaic it seemed. It was much healthier to show your children that you could drink in moderation.

"Man, what are you talking about?" Vincent asked.

"Oh Cloud's freaking out because Marlene and her friend are going to the _chaperoned_ movies with two boys tonight. It's not like they are going to see something R rated, Cloud!" Yuffie explained.

"Ooooh, okay. Well, I can understand that." Vincent said seriously. Of course, Vincent said _everything_ seriously. Tifa and Yuffie took the aluminum foil off everything Vincent had brought. Yuffie searched a cabinet for a bag of chips for the dip that Vincent brought.

"So are we playing in front of the couch on that table?" Yuffie asked picking up one of the full plates.

"Yeah, take it over there." Cloud said. Cid was the last to arrive, pies in hand as requested.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm running late. I had to wait on one of the pies. It's okay though they gave it to me free because I had to wait. Chocolate cream and peanut butter supreme." Cid announced.

"Hi Cid, we're glad you made it. Put the pies in the fridge." Tifa said pouring herself a glass of wine.

"Hey, my chicken thing is done! Cloud you were supposed to be watching that!" Yuffie scolded him.

"Oh, sorry about that." Cloud said swirling the wine around in his glass.

"Is it okay for me to fill my plate and take it to my room? Me and Kai are going to play an online game tonight." Denzel asked.

"Of course you can. Do you want some pie now too?" Tifa asked.

"Yeah!" Denzel answered excitedly.

"Okay, well you come and get whatever you want. Then cut whichever pie you want." Tifa said getting a stack of plates from the cabinet beside the sink.

"We'll spread this stuff out on the counter. There's more room in here anyway." Yuffie said turning the kitchen counter into a buffet.

"This is our next project…doing something about the ridiculous size of this kitchen. We have to do something about the fact that the dishwasher will barely open all the way in this walk space." Tifa said grabbing some hot pads and setting Yuffie's chicken creation on the stove.

"I'll tell you what you should do in here." Cid started. Cloud prayed that whatever he was about to suggest didn't involve any profanity. "Open this up and get rid of your counter tops. I know you all use this space and you're going to say you don't have room in here for a table but think about this. If you knock that wall out where your TV is you could add at least 400 square feet to this place. Hey, it can be done. Me and Cloud could pull that off if you want it to happen, little miss."

"Time out. Don't get Cloud in on this." Cloud said. "_You_ might be able to pull it off and if you want to get with a contractor and work that out; that's wonderful. All Cloud will do is save the floors since they are new." He emphasized.

"You two think about it. I can make you a sketch of what it would look like and a contractor can give you a price." Cid said filling his plate right after Denzel.

"Oh Cid and his visions of home improvements." Vincent said shaking his head.

"I'm going to my room now." Denzel told Tifa.

"Okay, honey." Tifa said putting her hand on the top of his head as he balanced a plate in one hand and a glass in the other. Yuffie poured another glass of wine and took it to Vincent.

"This smells good Yuffie." Cid announced.

"Cloud, go get the deck of cards out of Marlene's room" Tifa said stirring the dip. "The deck is on her dresser."

"I have the poker chips. Did anyone else bring any?" Yuffie asked sitting beside Vincent on the couch.

"I have set." Cid said checking the pocket of his coat.

"We have a set also. Vincent, see that drawer on that table? The chips are in there." Tifa said pouring a glass of wine for Jun and Cid. Once Cloud returned, it was time for he and Tifa to fill their plates and get this card game started.

"Hey, don't let me forget…I have a box of pictures downstairs in the car for you two." Cid said to either Cloud or Tifa but before either of them could say anything Cid caught sight of the new diamond on Tifa's finger. "Holy shit…Cloud why you gotta do that to the rest of us? Come here, let me see that." Cid said reaching for Tifa's hand. "That's one hell of a rock, Tifa. What did you do to deserve that? Oh wait…that's a stupid question. You put up with _that_." Cid said referring to Cloud. "How many carats are you up to now?"

"I'm only telling you this because I like you, but…nine…four on my hand, five in my ears." Tifa said turning pink all over. She didn't exactly want people to know how many carats Cloud had put on her.

"Oh! That reminds me! I still have pictures of their 'wedding' on my camera. I know it was four months ago but I'm lazy and I never clear the card off." Yuffie said wallowing over Vincent and Jun to get her camera.

"I like how you use the air quotes to describe that." Vincent said.

"It wasn't a wedding! It was a freak show in the court house that day! The cops were dragging a screaming criminal in right before the justice of the peace called for them!" Yuffie said excitedly.

"The transvestite prostitute arguing with that guard was pretty entertaining, Yuffie." Tifa said realizing that she had finished that glass of wine much faster than she had anticipated. "Deal my cards and my chips, I'm getting more wine." Tifa said.

"That was incredibly entertaining. He…or…she or whatever you call them called Tifa ma'am." Cloud said as he dealt the first hand. "White chips are one, red is five and blue is ten. Is that okay with everyone?"

"Sounds great." Cid said. Tifa returned and looked at her cards.

"I'm looking at this picture right here. You obviously have tequila which can only mean Yuffie coerced you into Mexican. But, I have never in my life seen Cloud smile that much. Don't get me wrong it's not one of those big annoying smiles but my god he looks happy here. What did you do to make this happen?" Vincent asked Yuffie. That made Cid laugh.

"Oh, Tifa probably had her hand down his pants. No, no, I'm playing. I caught him at a weak moment." Yuffie said.

"You know we still don't have copies of any of those pictures. You were our _wedding_ photographer, Yuffie. This is poor customer service." Cloud teased her.

"I know, I know. I really need to print these out for you." Yuffie said laying a card down.

"Hey, I know this isn't a great time but I have to ask you…Did Denzel talk to you?" Vincent asked Cloud with concern in his voice.

"Yes, he did. I'm guessing he told you too?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah." Vincent answered him. Tifa proceeded to explain Denzel's situation to Cid, Yuffie and her boyfriend. It was no secret after all, and these _were_ their closest friends.

"I hate to hear that. Denzel is sweet kid. You two are good parents though; you'll get him through it." Cid said. "Weren't you bullied as a kid?"

"Yes, which makes this whole thing that much harder. You grow out of being small but you can't outgrow being a victim of discrimination. I think we got it though. Like you said, we'll get him through it." Cloud explained folding his hand.

"Cloud, please you haven't outgrown being small! I've known you for at least seven years and in that time you haven't grown an inch anywhere! Don't you hold your glass like that and flip me off!" Yuffie said laughing at him.

"It's okay Yuffie, I know you're right." Cloud admitted. "Just for that I need more wine. I'm just going to bring the bottle over here."

"Is that your contribution to this evening? Wine?" Cid asked.

"It is, and it's good wine too." Cloud reassured him. It was Cid's turn to deal a hand.

"So, I want to talk about the one thing that you two never talk about. Now that you're married is the sex just totally gone?" Cid asked rather bluntly

"Cid!" Tifa scolded him rather mortified. It was true that neither Cloud nor Tifa _ever _discussed their life between the sheets with anyone but each other.

"I'm serious here! I'm not being as ass whatsoever! I am being entirely serious!" Cid insisted. "List, listen here…just give it a number. A zero is the sex is totally gone and a ten is…oh my god!"

"I am not answering you." Tifa said laughing at Cid.

"It's a ten I'm not going to hide it. Besides, I have had two glasses of wine in me…I'm easy now." Cloud admitted. Naturally, that sent Yuffie into a fit of laughter.

"So, how many times a week are we talking here?" Cid pressed onward.

"Oh Cid, he's not that…" Cloud cut Tifa off as he won the next hand.

"It used to be four, we're up to five times now." Cloud answered him.

"Oh my god!" Tifa said slapping Cloud's arm.

"I can't wait until he has another glass. There's so much more I want to ask!" Cid said trying to hold back his laughter.

"You have two kids and you both work full time! Aren't you…I don't know…TIRED?" Vincent asked.

"Are you kidding? We're exhausted _after_ we…" Tifa cut Cloud off, hitting him again.

"Will you shut up!" she insisted laughing at him.

"Aww Tifa, it's okay. You know we love you." Cid said. Tifa sighed.

"Whatever. Give me those cards! I'm dealing." She said laughing at Cid.


	4. The Glue

"That's what you're wearing!" Cloud asked a bit skeptical of what Tifa had on this morning.

"Yeah…why?" Tifa questioned.

"You look…well you look too hot. We're meeting with the principal this morning. You can't walk in there with your…pants and your…animal print bag that says 'hi I'm Tifa. I don't wear mom-jeans and my panties are silky. I believe in diplomatic parenting in which my kids have the freedom of choice and I'm not afraid to try new stuff in bed.'" Cloud said packing Marlene's lunch.

"You got all of that….from my zebra print purse?" Tifa shook her head. "Oh god you are somethin' else." She put her hand on the side of Cloud's face. "All that stuff is true by the way."

"You do look really good. You're not going to be like those people that go into the principal's office with one of those novelty 100 percent Princess Bitch t-shirts." Cloud said seriously.

"Yes, Cloud. All of those shirts I own are at the cleaners this week." Tifa said sarcastically. "Denzel! Marlene! Come on, we don't want to be late!" Tifa yelled for them. It was Monday morning and Cloud and Tifa were going to be meeting with Denzel's principal this morning and his teacher in the afternoon. They couldn't work out the schedules to meet with them both so this would have to work for today. Cloud took the entire day off work as did Tifa just to be sure they got to speak with both the principal and the teacher. It was kind of nice actually, they were going to have the day to themselves, a day they hadn't had in a while.

"I'm nervous." Cloud told Tifa.

"Why?" she asked.

"I don't know. I just hope she takes us seriously and doesn't judge us or Denzel or…just make sure I don't say anything stupid to her. My god, she's the principal after all." Cloud said now putting the finishing touches on Denzel's sandwich.

"You two have thirty seconds to get out here or you'll be late! Come on!" Tifa yelled again. Marlene came hurrying into the living room zipping her coat and grabbing her backpack. Denzel wasn't far behind.

"I think I need a new coat. The lining on this coat is starting to tear." Denzel said gathering his things and struggling to get the zipper of his coat unstuck from the fraying lining. It was true he needed a new one. He had worn this one to its near death.

"Okay, Cloud and I will get you a new one today and if you don't like it we can always return it for something else." Tifa assured him pulling her own coat on and hurrying both Marlene and Denzel out the door.

"Wow! It's really cold out here!" Marlene said tying her scarf tighter around her neck. It wasn't a long drive to the school and both Cloud and Tifa longed for the day when the weather was warm enough to get the bike out again; not necessarily to take Marlene or Denzel to school since they typically rode the bus…but just to have it out again. It was a reminder of those carefree summer days. Thank goodness Tifa had already gone downstairs that morning and pre-warmed the car. There was a chill from the icy air that was moving this morning. In fact, all of Midgar was in a wind chill advisory which could only mean that another cold front was moving through.

"We'll pick you both up around back today at 3:00, okay?" Tifa said as they soon approached the side parking lot of the school campus. The school was only about six blocks from the apartment but it was six _city_ blocks and that wasn't in a walking distance that Cloud of Tifa felt comfortable with letting the kids walk alone in the city.

"Bye! We'll see you later today!" Marlene said climbing out of the car.

"Yeah! We'll see you this afternoon." Denzel chimed in after her.

"You two have a good day today." Cloud said as they hurried toward the front of the school. Neither Cloud of Tifa had made a move. There was a lot of pedestrian traffic going in to the school and frankly, they didn't want to be in the middle of it.

"I never thought…in a hundred…no…million years, that this would be us. Look at us Tifa, you and I are sitting in our car in the middle of _suburbia_ preparing to speak with the _principal_ of our _children'_s school. Tifa…we're one of _them_." Cloud insisted.

"Cloud, we are not one of _them_. We don't own a mini van or have any tacky bumper stickers. We can't use phrases like 'when I go to the next PTA meeting' or 'sure I'll coach middle school basketball' or 'yes, I would love to be on the phone tree'. We are far from ever being one of _them_." Cloud looked at Tifa seriously.

"You're gonna blow me on our way to get lunch today just to prove we aren't one of _them_, aren't you?

"I'm not going to lie, I'm considering it. But since we're in the city it probably isn't the best idea. Now come on, it's almost 8:30. The sooner we get in there, the sooner we get done. It's gonna be okay." Tifa said taking his hand in hers.

"Why am I freaking out over this?" Cloud asked her.

"It's not _this_ that you're freaking out about. You're just taking it all very personally that's all and it's…it's a lot for you. I'll do all the talking this morning and this afternoon if that would make you feel better." Tifa said.

"No, no…that will make for an awkward introduction… 'hi this is my idiot husband, never mind him not talking he has issues.' Like I told you before we left the house, if I start to say something stupid just….poke me or hit me or whatever." Cloud said. Tifa laughed and opened the car door. It was time to get this over with. It was a large school and deep down Cloud wondered if the principal would even care about the issue of Denzel being bullied. He feared she would have a hundred other things to worry about. He didn't want her to think that he and Tifa were wasting her time. Cloud felt a strangeness overcome him as he and Tifa stepped into the main lobby of the school. It wasn't that they had never gone to the kids' school for anything. It was just that anytime they had come through these doors it was always to receive good news…that the kids were doing well, that one or both of them were on the honor roll, anything like that and Cloud thought this was frightfully negative.

They approached the secretary in the main office. Upon introducing themselves and signing in she directed Tifa and Cloud to the principal's office. She greeted them warmly and that only made Cloud that much more nervous about this whole thing. And why did she have to call them the Strife's? Oooh god, no one had ever called he and Tifa that before…that was just awful. As far as Cloud was concerned the Strife's were _his _parents that had lead very mundane and unprogressive lives in Nibelheim so many years ago. There was no way in hell that he and Tifa were the _Strife's_. It was obvious Tifa was going to have to kick start this meeting since Cloud was as pale as a sheet right now.

"Thank you so much for meeting with us. I know you must have a busy schedule." She said.

"It's no trouble at all. I'm glad to be of help. So, what exactly brings you in today?" the principal asked sincerely. Tifa looked at Cloud….he appeared as if were about to throw up. It was more than obvious he was going to be of no help whatsoever until the initial shock value of this meeting wore off. Even still, after all the progress they had made together Cloud still managed to let his own demons consume him at the most inopportune times.

The principal was a kind and understanding woman. She didn't dismiss their concern, she was receptive, she listened, and she even had a plan. It was reassuring to know that they weren't alone. Tifa did most of the talking but Cloud didn't miss a word of what the principal said. He expected this meeting to last a long time but it didn't seem like it would. Why was Tifa and this principal so certain of everything and he was…well certain of _nothing_? Maybe it was some kind of female instinctual thing that he just couldn't understand. "Do the two of you have any questions for me?" she asked. There was a long pause of silence. This was Tifa's way of giving Cloud the floor….which was probably a horrible idea.

"Um…we…tell Denzel that school is important. You know what they say…stay in school." Was Cloud's comment. Tifa put her fingers on her forehead and shook her head ever so slightly. First of all, that wasn't a question and secondly it didn't relate whatsoever to anything that had been discussed in the past fifteen minutes. "Wait…I actually do have a question. Will you or Denzel's teacher please send a note to us if he's ever bullying another kid? Because let me tell you, I will unleash the fear of god on that…" Tifa jammed her elbow hard into Cloud's side.

"We just want to know if Denzel is ever contributing to the problem. We would address that immediately and appropriately." Tifa said before Cloud made them out to sound like psycho parents that believed in putting the fear in their kids. This meeting was shortly concluded thereafter.

"You have my direct number. Please don't hesitate to call me for any reason." The principal said as they had left seemingly almost as fast as they had gotten here. Of course there was still another meeting to ensue later that day with Denzel's teacher. It wouldn't be all that bad; or at least that's what Tifa thought. Besides, both Cloud and Tifa had met Denzel's teacher several times before. Once outside the school, the parking lot had returned to a near dormant state now that all the buses had run and all the parent drop-offs had dispersed.

"Well, that went much better than I had ever expected it to go. Of course I kept quiet most of the time…that's probably why it went so well." Cloud laughed nervously.

"It was fine. You did fine. Everything is fine. She seems to be a very responsible principal." Tifa said. But how was everything fine? Nothing was fixed for god's sake! It had gotten windier outside just since they had been inside the school. "Alright, let's go to the mall and not the crappy one. The good one. I know it's a longer drive but we have all afternoon to kill and we can get Denzel a new coat and get lunch there."

"You know you're the glue, right?" Cloud asked Tifa as they got into the car once more.

"Huh?" she questioned.

"You're the glue. You hold it all together. Me, the kids…everything. Why can't I hold it together the way you can? Like that principal…she was so rational. Is it like a woman thing? Tell me! Tell me how the hell you do it!" Cloud asked frustrated with himself.

"The answer is simple Cloud. The principal is on the outside looking in….it's not her son. She's just doing her job. Me? Well, it _is_ my son but the issue isn't _mine_. Does his issue affect me? My god of course it does! Any decent parent doesn't want to see their child hurt. But it's just easier for me I guess because I didn't actually ever go through what Denzel is going through and you have. That's how…to answer your question." Tifa finished. "If I'm the glue then you must be the paper. Because paper is easy to cut, it's easy to crush, but one thing is certain and that is that paper will stick to glue every time." That brought a comforting smile to Cloud's face.

"I don't crush _that _easily." Cloud said.

"That's what people who don't know you think. But Cloud, you crush like a menopausal woman who cries when you compliment her shoes. You put up a tough front, but you're fragile and even you know that." Tifa said. He laughed at her. Once again she was right.


	5. Guilty

"Denzel can you help me with something before we go inside?" Cloud asked.

"I'm going to go start getting some things ready for dinner and help Marlene study for her test." Tifa said picking up a bag of groceries in the back seat.

"Alright." Cloud answered her. Denzel put his backpack on the cold cement. Cloud watched carefully until Tifa and Marlene were up the stairs. He could hear Tifa unlock the door.

"So, what are we doing?" Denzel asked. Cloud didn't answer him right away. He waited until he heard the front door of their apartment close.

"Listen, um…you know that me and Tifa talked to your teacher this afternoon and your principal this morning. I don't doubt that either of them will do the right thing with this kid that's picking on you. It's just that…well I'm impatient and…" Cloud sighed. "I'm not making the right decision here but…you're going to end this Denzel." Cloud said leaning up against the side of the Fenrir.

"What do you mean?" Denzel questioned.

"This kid… If I were to say; I'd guess that he was a bit of wimp if the truth were known. Kind of…a sissy and maybe a whole lot insecure about something. There's uh…there's an immediate fix to him picking on you, Denzel." Cloud said. He was apprehensive about this but he was going to go through with it.

"What is it?" Denzel asked curiously. Both Denzel and Cloud were freezing but as far as Cloud was concerned this had to be done.

"I'm going to show you how to sock it to this kid. You throw your first at him a few times and it'll stop, Denzel. But listen, first…you absolutely cannot tell Tifa. She doesn't want you fighting and neither do I really but I can't let this go on. I can't wait on your principal or your teacher to do something. Okay, secondly…you can't do this at school. I don't want you getting in trouble for fighting. You got it? This is totally man to man Denzel, between you and me only." Cloud said seriously.

"Just like you and Zack, right?" Denzel asked with a sparkle in his eyes.

"Yes, yes! _Exactly_ like that." Cloud said relieved that Denzel realized how important this was. Denzel's face lit up.

"Okay! I promise I won't fight at school and I won't let Tifa know about anything! But Cloud? I'm surprised a little bit. You've always told me to never keep anything from you or Tifa. And…well…you do everything she says…because you love her so much." Denzel said honestly.

"I know! I know! I know! All that stuff is right!" Cloud put his hands on Denzel's shoulders. "But Denzel, right now I am being a horrible role model and I am by no means getting father of the year for this. Just this once, I am going to contradict every example that me and Tifa have set for you. Everything we have ever told you…well, I'm going to pretty much ruin it all right now." Cloud said trying to explain why this was the 'one time' that it was okay to set a bad example. Denzel laughed.

"Okay." He said.

"Now, I'm going to teach you how to throw a punch. You want to get this kid when he's picking you. Watch…you want to keep about this distance between you and him…no more." Cloud said showing Denzel exactly what he meant. "Look, keep your fist like this. Don't tuck your thumb in or you could break it." Took Denzel's hand and molded it into the shape he wanted it. "Keep your knuckles just like this; in a line."

"Like this?" Denzel asked.

"Yeah, just like that. Now, you want to keep your left hand lower than your right hand like this. See how I'm holding this hand?" Cloud wanted to make sure Denzel was following closely.

"Okay, you mean like this, right?" Denzel mimicked Cloud's hands.

"Yeah. Watch your elbows. If you let your elbows slump you won't get a clean hit. You want three clean punches, Denzel. That will do it." Cloud said.

"Wait…Cloud…what if Steven tells his parents? Then you and I both will be in trouble." Denzel said.

"He won't. When you lose a fight to another boy…you never tell your parents that you're roughed up because you lost a fight, especially this kid. Well, now if something like that ever happens to you, come tell me and…oh god I contradicted myself again. Shit this is…don't, don't say shit about stuff. Just pretend I'm not talking right now." Cloud said as this went from bad to worse..

Denzel laughed again. "Cloud, you're funny sometimes." This lesson had to conclude before it went straight to hell.

"Oh, Denzel…if you only knew how hard this was. Okay, I want you to practice on me. Don't worry, you won't hurt me. Just hit me right here. You don't have to punch this kid in the face to get the job done. Come on, right here. Hit me as hard as you can." Cloud said. He watched Denzel's form as he took Denzel's first punch right to the chest. It wasn't pleasant by any means but this poor parenting session was for the sake of Denzel. With each punch Denzel took, Cloud wanted him to get a little firmer. Cloud was somewhat stopping the initial shock with his hands anyway. "Good, you can stop there. You're ready. But remember, don't do it at school. Now, I'm going to make this even worse because now we have to lie to Tifa." Cloud said hugging Denzel up against him. Denzel laughed.

"I'll be upstairs in a minute. If Tifa asks…tell her…um…tell her...that there was a light on the dashboard of the car and we were looking at that. Oh my god, now I'm teaching you to _lie_ to the woman who loves us both. Denzel, just go upstairs before I teach you how to hotwire a car or…commit check fraud or something." Cloud said disappointed in himself. Denzel squeezed Cloud as hard as he could.

"Thanks, Cloud." Denzel said. He picked up his backpack and hurried upstairs. Cloud smiled to himself and leaned over farther on the bike. It was like leaning on a solid sheet of ice. Cloud stared at the oil stained concrete. He had taught Denzel how to change tires, change oil filters, and check lug nuts this summer and these stains were a reminder of that precious time they had spent together.

"I know I shouldn't have done it! What would you have done if he were yours?" Cloud said out loud. He laughed. "You're son wouldn't ever have to worry about being bullied. No one would mess with Zack Fair's son. But…just pretend Denzel was yours. Would you have done it?" Cloud stared at the back alley as the wind began to howl. "You gotta help me out on this one. You…you always knew what to do. Shut up, I'm not crying. I have something in my eye." Cloud defended himself against Zack that was somewhere out there listening to him. "I just…I caved. You don't want to see him have to go through this, right? I didn't mean to…go behind Tifa's back like that but…god, I don't know. Well, just do me a favor and keep quiet about it. It's cold out here so I won't keep you any longer." Cloud finished his conversation with Zack even though he didn't quite get the answer he was looking for. A warm house awaited him and he was frozen to the bone. Cloud walked over to the banister in front of the apartment and gave the Midgar streets one last look. It was a miserably gray day. The wind was beating this city to pieces today. Whatever ice had melted even the slightest would freeze right back over at this rate.

Once inside the warmth of the apartment, he noticed Tifa shredding half of a head of lettuce. "I'm making tacos is that okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah that's fine. I'm actually starving since we didn't get our lunch today but we did drink our weight in coffee." Cloud said.

"I know. Here, give Marlene the rest of these questions for her test tomorrow. I'm going to get water all over the notebook if I'm not careful." Tifa said nodding toward the notebook beside her. It was true that 4:00 was much earlier than they ever started fixing dinner but both Cloud and Tifa were hungry thanks to the mishap at the mall earlier that day. They had gone to grab a quick sandwich at a some coffee place but since the service had been so slow they were given as much complimentary coffee as they wanted so they ended up drinking that half of the afternoon. Cloud sat with Marlene in front of the TV ready to give her the remaining questions for her test but the meteorologist interrupted whatever show was on at the time.

"Look! There's another band of ice coming in." Marlene said. "What's a level three ice emergency?" she asked as the meteorologist indicated a level three ice emergency was imminent.

"It means I have a lot of phone calls to make." Cloud said realizing that a level three ice emergency meant that Midgar started shutting down. If in fact they got buried under a level three ice emergency that meant the only places open tomorrow would be grocery stores, gas stations and places like the bar.

"Well, I could potentially make a lot of money tomorrow if Midgar starts shutting down." Tifa said.

"Yeah, you will. Marlene, I'll give these to you in just a bit. Let me call my drivers and the secretary at work." Cloud said sitting her notebook aside. It was true that he needed to alert them since usually the first drivers started their routes at 6:00 AM…long before Cloud ever went in to work.

"Denzel, does it fit?" Tifa called to him. She was referring to the coat she and Cloud had picked out for him.

"It does! It's great! It's really, really great!" Denzel yelled from his room.

"Come and let me see it." Tifa said shoving the lettuce aside.

"See?" Denzel said showing Tifa as she had asked of him.

"Good! Go ahead and cut the tags off." Tifa told him.

"I wish I could have gone to the mall with you today." Marlene said.

"I know you do. Maybe you and I can go with Stella and her mom sometime soon." Tifa said.

"Yeah, that would be fun. I know! We could get some new curtains and stuff for my room!" Marlene said.

"Yeah, we've been meaning to do that for a while haven't we?" Tifa asked her.

"We sure have!" Marlene said.

It was a lazy evening. Dinner happened fast after Tifa had gotten the meat cooking. It was one of those nights where all you wanted to do was curl up and go to sleep. Of course, both Cloud and Tifa were wired as hell from all the coffee earlier in the day so they decided to clean out the hallway closet while Marlene and Denzel were half asleep on the couch.

"Where did we get half of this stuff?" Tifa asked throwing things out into a pile at a rate that would soon have them both buried. A lot of the things she was throwing out were clothes of Marlene and Denzel's that they couldn't wear anymore. "There has got to be a kid somewhere that can use this stuff. It's in good shape and another…don't…feel me up in this closet!" Tifa said trying not to laugh at the feeling of Cloud's fingertips creeping up her skin. She was horribly ticklish on her sides anyway. "This is sexual harassment! No means no!" Tifa said fighting to protect her sides.

"You are so ticklish." Cloud said torturing her even more.

"You're supposed to be helping me!" Tifa said throwing another pile of stuff out of the closet, hoping it would get Cloud's hands off her.

"I can't help it! I'm easily distracted. I've had like…84 ounces of coffee." Cloud said unhooking Tifa's bra. She squealed unexpectedly loudly as she fell forward into the closet. Marlene appeared in the hallway from her cozy spot on the couch shortly thereafter. She had a questioning look on her face. She yawned sleepily.

"What are you doing?" Marlene asked Cloud.

"Cleaning out _your_ stuff from this closet." Cloud said.

"It looks like you're just being annoying." Marlene said examining all the clothes that were in the floor that she could no longer wear. She laughed at Cloud.

"I'm never annoying." Cloud told her.

"You annoy Tifa all the time! But that's okay, it just means you love her." Marlene said. "But, it looks like you have her pinned in the closet…I bet she doesn't love you too much right now." Marlene said still giggling. Marlene went back to her warm little nest on the couch. Tifa pulled Cloud over against her.

"If you help me fold all these clothes, I'll make it worth your while." Tifa said softly.

"Are you trying to bribe me with _sex_?" Cloud questioned her just as softly. " 'Cause it _will _work." Deep down, Cloud knew it would be the guiltiest sex of his life.


	6. Before You Buy

It was 3:00 in the morning. Cloud and Tifa weren't even the slightest bit tired. They had been sitting in the middle of their bed looking at the box of pictures that Cid had given them. There were so many wonderful ones that they had forgotten about. Some were funny, some were endearing, some brought back too many memories but every picture in that box was a treasure. "You're just one big recessive gene pool, you know that?" Tifa said looking at a picture of Cloud and his mother. He looked to be around four or five. "Look at this, you have your mom's hair, her eyes…well you just look exactly like her. Look at that, it says Cloud 1989 on the back." Tifa said.

"I do look so much like her. The only things I ever got from my dad were…well actually, I don't remember a whole lot about him at all. Of course, it wasn't his fault that he was killed when I was so little." Cloud said. "You'd think I'd give the guy a break by now."

"I don't think you will ever give him a break. It's okay though, I'd be a hypocrite if I told you to do it. It's not like I'm giving my dad one. I'm putting these away. We've been through at least half of this box and there's so many more to get through and we can't do it all tonight." Tifa said putting all the little stacks they had made back into the box and pushing it toward the edge of their bed.

"Why do you think Cid gave all these pictures to us?" Cloud asked.

"I imagine he thought we would appreciate them all the most." Tifa said picking up the box and putting it on the floor. It was surprisingly heavy to be so small as she pushed on it with her foot to shove it towards the wall.

"You know you could just bend over and pick that up." Cloud said.

"I'm lazy to do that." Tifa said. She turned on the bathroom light and searched for a hand towel. She needed to wash her hands of the smell of boxed photographs. Cid must have been keeping these in a musty place because she felt stale all over.

"Oh my god! Tifa, there is borderline soft core cable porn amongst these television channels! You have to call the cable company tomorrow and complain! I mean, this has to be…not on here." Cloud said emphatically.

"Is it an entire channel dedicated to soft core porn?" Tifa asked.

"I don't know. I've never noticed us having such a channel. What are we going to do this is not good. Wait… whoa…this is hot. Tifa, come do this with me now." Cloud said emphatically.

"Why do I have to be the one to call the cable company? Besides, why is this program such a big deal? Those two aren't doing anything we haven't done. Wait…we haven't done _that_ in an airplane bathroom but hey, if we're ever on a plane we can use that as a frame of reference." Tifa said turning out the light and curling up beside Cloud under their warm covers.

"Tifa! This cannot be how Marlene or Denzel learns how to do _that_!" Cloud said.

"Oh my god…Cloud, please…they've pretty much already gotten the basic idea of how to do _that_ from us!" Tifa said straddling Cloud and starting to peel her clothes off.

"I know they know we're doing _that_…but…" Cloud stopped talking and just stared at Tifa for a minute. "See, now you're half naked and I don't even care what Marlene or Denzel learns or where they learn it. I blame you for…why the hell are we still watching this?" Cloud said turning off their TV and letting Tifa put his hands wherever she wanted them.

"So, what do you want me to do to you? Tifa said kissing him and carefully sliding her hands down bare skin until she had her fingers in the waist of his boxers. He tightened his arms around her.

"Make it hot under these covers." Cloud demanded of her letting his fingers trace delicate curves before feasting on her with hungry palms. He sighed as her hips rubbed against him. The only thing heavier than Cloud's breath was the howling wind outside. The power lines were beating against the side of the building and giant gusts could be heard plowing through the city. Here they were wide awake and aroused like mad and technically, a level three ice emergency hadn't been declared. There was a chance Cloud would be getting ready for work in about three hours. Tifa held on to his shoulders now that she had successfully undressed Cloud. This room was nearly black. Not even the city lights could completely penetrate the heavy opaque curtains. She kissed him with desire. Tifa's tongue against his was lustful and hungry but not nearly as hungry as her hips against his. She pushed herself up and put Cloud's hands on her hips towards her back. The sound of Tifa's sweet sighs was enticing as she rocked her body slowly back and forth on him. Cloud moved his hands up her back and down her sides all the way to her thighs. His hands were soft and his touch sensual.

"Touch me some place dirty." Tifa said just above a whisper. Her words sent chills over Cloud's body. Her motions were slowly becoming harder and more intense as she now used the strength in her thighs to control her every move. She gasped a little when Cloud touched her. "Oooh yeah…that's dirty." Tifa said faintly. She loved hearing Cloud pant helplessly underneath her. For whatever reason, they were in perfect sync tonight. She shifted her weight now, leaning forward and putting her hands on either side of him. The ends of her hair teased Cloud's shoulders as she let the weight of her body slam in to him. Cloud reached somewhat haphazardly for the blanket that covered he and Tifa and slung it aside. She had done exactly as Cloud had told her and made it hot underneath their covers. They would want that blanket later but for now Tifa had Cloud hot all over, burning in fact.

"Tifa…Tifa…oooh…Tifa…" Cloud's voice was muffled by his own shortness of breath; his own sound of desperation. There was no better feeling than that deep and rhythmic sensation Tifa had so dexterously created.

"Aaah…you like that don't you? Prove how much you like it…" Tifa said biting her lower lip as to not let the passion in her voice escape her. She had weakness in her arms but it didn't compare to the weak feeling between her legs…a throbbing and euphoric sensitivity that she had to give in to. But, she didn't want to give in to him…not yet. Tifa clenched her teeth and let her body rest. It was fairly painful to hold back an orgasm but she didn't expect it to come on this fast. Cloud could tell she was fighting it and so he did nothing to interfere. She moaned in hopes it would help her fight this sweet blaze between her thighs. Tifa was only partially successful as she couldn't resist assaulting Cloud with a much harder and more rapid grind.

He had a way of saying the filthiest things to Tifa at the worst possibly times. Hearing such smut leave his lips only made her want him more. Though he couldn't see her in the darkness, Cloud knew she was so close to climaxing that she wouldn't be able to fight it this time. He moved his hand and put his wrist in her mouth. She bit down hard which set off a climatic chain reaction. There was no better feeling in the world than this moment…that moment when the heart rate doubled and every ounce of tension that had built was released in three explosive seconds. Cloud gave her the exact proof she was looking for, flooding her body like a river. Cloud thought she was the sexiest woman alive and seeing in the dark her post-orgasm, sopping wet and gasping for air only reconfirmed that for him.

"How's that for proof?" Cloud asked her weakly as he let his hands roam over her breasts and behind her back. He pulled her body down on top of him. Tifa felt a warm mess slightly drip out of her, coating the inside of one of her thighs but she knew it was just the fate of gravity and frankly she loved that feeling.

"It's exactly the proof I wanted." TIfa said kissing Cloud deeply. "You're good…you're so good." She sighed as she let the weight of her body sink into Cloud making even more of a mess between her thigs. He touched his wrist, feeling Tifa's imprint of her teeth. She had left her mark behind that was certain. Cloud didn't care.

"What if I weren't? What if I were lousy in bed?" Cloud asked letting his hands caress Tifa all over.

"That's why you always try it on before you buy it." Tifa said.

"Well, you must really like the fit." Cloud answered her.

"You're right. Where are all of our blankets?" Tifa wondered as she let her hands wander through blond hair.

"I threw them over there because you made it hot underneath them just like I told you to do." Cloud said wrapping strong arms around her.

"I think I want them back, it's cold." Tifa said sighing, feeling her pulse slow down slightly.

"How can you possibly be cold? It feels great in here." Cloud said finally catching his breath again.

"Because I'm on top of you, I'm naked, I'm very blissful right now, the heat hasn't kicked on in over thirty minutes, all of our blankets are in a wad on that side of the bed which I can't even see right now because this room is so dark and I'm acting as your own personal heating pad." Tifa said.

"You like being my own personal heating pad, though. And, you're really good at it." Cloud said sincerely. Tifa laughed.

"You're right…I do like it but I'd like it a lot more if you would cover me up." Cloud reached aimlessly around wondering where the hell he had shoved all their blankets. He knew they had to be close by. He finally managed to find an edge of one of the layers of blankets. He pulled it over Tifa awkwardly.

"Oh, you cover me with…three inches of the sheet?" Tifa asked tucking her elbows in underneath Cloud's arms.

"I can't reach the rest. It's your fault, you make me weak." Cloud mumbled half asleep. It was 4:30 in the morning and they were both exhausted. Tifa thought she may fall asleep without the blankets on her because together they always fell asleep within minutes of having sex. It was like clockwork every time. "Hey…what happens…if I have to get up in two hours?" Cloud asked her.

"Don't worry you won't have to." Tifa said.

"Will you get up and see if it's…doing stuff outside?" Cloud asked her.

"No, I won't. I love you but I will not get up and go look outside." Tifa said shivering a little. Cloud traded her places, rolling her over underneath him. He kissed her neck and reached around to find the edge of another blanket.

"You were right, it is cold in here." Cloud said finding the rest of their blankets and slinging them over he and Tifa once again. It was a warm, protective nest of sorts now with her arms around him and the two of them wrapped in plushness.

"Oh, now you believe me _and_ you find the rest of the blankets." Tifa said tightening her arms around him.

"You're so sexy without any blankets on you." He reminded her. Tifa laughed.

"What if I weren't? What if I looked like a train wreck naked?"

"That's why you look before you buy." Cloud said resting his head between the bottom of her neck and her collar bone. She knew he would fall asleep on her like that and so would she. Sleet could be heard hitting the window as the gusts of wind continued to tear through the city. It was a winter serenade.

My apologies for the slow update! I've been out of town this past week and didn't have access to my laptop very much.


	7. Even Guiltier

"Whoa! Look Marlene!" Denzel said pulling the vertical blinds away from the sliding glass door in the living room. Marlene gasped as they peered out the glass letting their breath fog the cold surface before them. Midgar was coated in ice this morning. There was an accumulation of at least three inches on the banister outside.

"It's like a frozen wonderland out there!" Marlene said as she and Denzel admired the ice covered city. "Denzel! I have an idea! Let's make hot chocolate!" Marlene said. Obviously, there weren't going to school today and the extreme lack of traffic outside was a sure indicator that the city was in a level three ice emergency. Marlene excitedly hurried to the kitchen to look for cocoa and whatever else it was she wanted for hot chocolate.

"Let's have bagels with peanut butter too." Denzel said trailing behind Marlene. It was unusual for them to be awake before Cloud and Tifa. The door to their room was still closed and there wasn't any evidence of a light on. Tifa however began to stir as untamed blond hair tickled her nose and was half stuck in her mouth. She thrashed her head around a bit and yawned. She squirmed under the covers, shoving Cloud beside her and looking at the clock on the nightstand: 7:52. Her squirming caused Cloud to wake.

"Are you…chewing on my hair?" He asked pulling the covers farther up around them.

"No…your hair is in my mouth and I'm spitting it out." Tifa mumbled closing her eye again. Cloud sighed.

"If you were in to tattoos what would you get and where?" Cloud asked out of absolutely nowhere.

"Is this the result of a coffee hangover?" Tifa asked.

"No…I had a dream where you got a unicorn tattoo." Cloud said. Tifa shook her head.

"If I were in to tattoos I wouldn't get a unicorn anywhere on my body. I would get your name in script writing right here on the inside of my hip bone." Tifa said.

"That's hot. Don't get me wrong, I'm not in to tattoos so please leave your body the way it is but still...that's hot." Cloud said.

"Why were you dreaming about a magical unicorn tattoo?" Tifa asked.

"Hey, I said nothing about it being magical. But to answer your question, I don't know. Maybe it is in fact an adverse effect of too much coffee from yesterday." Cloud said.

"So, what would you get? If you were in to tattoos?" Tifa asked.

"I _would_ get Zack's name with wings around it but then people would probably think I was secretly gay so instead I would get your name on this shoulder." Cloud said.

"Oh Cloud, that much coffee seriously messes you up. Let's drink tea this morning." Tifa said. Cloud jumped at the sound of their bedroom door opening. Thank god they had put _some _clothes on otherwise this could have been a potentially awkward situation.

"Cloud! Tifa! Get up! Get up! There's ice everywhere outside and it's almost 8:10! You've gotta come see it!" Marlene said jumping in to their bed. Tifa yawned.

"Sweetie, I'm pretty sure it's not going to melt." She answered as Marlene did her best to wrap her arms around both Tifa and Cloud.

"I made hot chocolate!" she announced.

"You did? Okay, we'll be up in a minute, honey." Tifa said rubbing Marlene's back. Marlene smiled and put her head on Cloud's shoulder.

"Did you look at that box of pictures last night?" Marlene asked turning her head around and looking at the box on the opposite wall.

"Some of them. We still have many more to go through." Tifa told her. Marlene could hear the toaster pop up in the kitchen.

"Denzel toasted bagels! I'm going to get one before they get cold. We're going to put peanut butter on them." Marlene said squirming her way off their bed and hurrying back into the kitchen.

"We have _got_ to start locking that door." Cloud said rolling over and practically crushing Tifa to reach the rest of his clothes that were in a pile on the floor.

"We're not locking the door. Let's just both agree right now that eventually one of them _will_ walk in on us and when that happens we will deal with it when it happens." Tifa said pushing herself up.

"Watch that will be the one time we decide to do something seriously kinky and then we'll have to make up some line like all the other couples were doing it." Cloud said.

"Give me that long-sleeved shirt over there on the dresser." Tifa said knowing that her t-shirt wouldn't nearly be warm enough. "Yeah, we'll…come up with something."

"Cid is supposed to call today about the blueprints." Cloud said throwing her the shirt.

"What blueprints?" Tifa asked pulling it over her head and tying the string on the waist of her fleece pants.

"For the living room and the kitchen. You know, tearing that wall out and making it bigger in there?" Cloud reminded her.

"So, we're honestly going through with it? I thought you were just agreeing with him finally the other night because you were drunk and totally about to get laid." Tifa said.

"He may have gotten me at a weak moment but I think he's right about opening that wall up. Why, do you not want to do it?" Cloud wondered.

"No, no. I would love to open that room up. Of course, this house will be torn upside down again but it will be worth it once the project is done. And ooh I can just imagine how we will finally be able to have a beautiful cherry-stained, glass inlaid front door instead of that clunky white thing with the lame wreath Yuffie stuck on there." Tifa said thinking about this home improvement project.

"We probably should have asked him for an estimate on this project. Of course we were drunk, we didn't think that far ahead. I know Cid will do most of the work because the man is a genius with this sort of thing but we need a number from the contractor." Cloud said pulling her up off their bed.

"We'll ask him to give us an idea when he calls today." Tifa reminded him. They walked out into the kitchen noticing that Marlene and Denzel were hard at work with their crude breakfast of hot chocolate and bagels. "Don't you two want something good on your day off?" Tifa asked putting her arms around Denzel.

"Will you make those sweet batter waffles?" Denzel asked with hope in his eyes.

"If that's what you want." Tifa promised him.

"Yes! That's what I want!" Denzel said shoving his half burned piece of bagel toward Marlene.

"I don't want this you burned it, silly!" Marlene said shoving Denzel's sad breakfast toward the edge of the counter. Tifa quickly pitched it away as she pulled her large mixing bowl from the cabinet above her.

"I cannot believe there isn't a single car out there, just emergency vehicles. Does the sidewalk around the bar need de-iced?" Cloud asked already knowing that the answer to that question was going to be yes since he and Tifa were recent owners of the 7th Heaven building. The good thing about owning the building was that they no longer paid any rent...the bad news was that the liability insurance of owning a business was staggering. It was for that reason that collectively Cloud and Tifa chose to rent the space for the delivery business. "You going to work today?" Cloud asked her.

"Are you kidding? I will easily clear 200 gil in tips alone today of course I'm going in. A day like today means a lot of money in my apron." Tifa said. Cloud turned around to listen to what the TV was saying about the ice emergency. Since half of Midgar was shut down, the crowd at the bar would be large.

"Can I come help you with the sidewalk?" Denzel asked Cloud.

"Since when did I say I was going to de-ice it? Marlene and Tifa are going to do it and you and I are going to sit up here, eat waffles and be warm." Cloud said disappearing to get some more layers of clothes on for this de-icing project.

"Hey! Whatever!" Marlene yelled at him.

"Whatever, you!" He yelled back at Marlene. "Yes, Denzel you can help. Go get some more clothes on." Cloud called out at him from the bedroom.

"Alright! This will be fun! Tifa, do you think the waffles will be ready when we're done?" Denzel asked.

"I promise I will make it work out that way, honey." Tifa reassured him. "Don't forget your scarf, you'll need it." Marlene watched as Tifa stirred the batter.

"It always smells so good." Marlene said.

"It does, doesn't it?" Tifa agreed with her.

"Can we have eggs too? I'll break them and everything!" Marlene said.

"Okay, you get them out of the fridge. Do you want to scramble them by yourself?" Tifa asked her.

"Yeah, but you have to help me a little because I don't want to burn them." Marlene said and Denzel and Cloud left to go outside. Tifa laughed at her.

"Okay, I'll help you."

"Tifa? Are all boys stupid?" Marlene asked her seriously and seemingly out of nowhere.

"Hmm?" Tifa questioned her wondering where this comment had come from.

"Boys...why are they stupid?" Marlene repeated herself.

"Well, what do you mean?" Tifa probed her further.

"There's this boy at school...some of the girls told me that he really liked me and wanted to invite me to his birthday party next weekend but every time he's around me and my friends, he just acts like a jerk and does really stupid things to get other peoples' attention. When he's just around me only though he's really nice and stuff. I don't get it." Marlene confessed. The truth was Marlene had already told Yuffie all about this 'stupid boy' on the phone the night before.

"Maybe he's trying to get _your_ attention. Maybe he's trying to impress you and that's the only way he knows how. But to answer your question...yes...all boys are stupid at some point in their lives." Tifa said still stirring the batter as she watched Marlene spin one of the eggs in a slow circle on the counter top.

"Hmm, I never thought of it that way. When did Cloud stop being stupid?" she wondered sincerely.

"When did he _stop_?" Tifa replied knowing it would make Marlene laugh and she did.

"Tifa!" Marlene said through her laughter.

"He stopped being stupid on May 3 of this year." Tifa answered her sincerely.

"Hey, that's your birthday." Marlene realized.

"Yeah." Tifa answered her remembering that day in her mind as if it happened yesterday. "So, do you like this boy back?" Marlene's face turned pink. On the phone she had told Yuffie yes but she was scared to tell Tifa that...or at least she thought she would be scared to tell her that.

"I...yeah...I do. Is that bad?" Marlene asked.

"No, it's not bad. But Marlene, you can never tell Cloud I told you that." Tifa said.

"Why will he freak out like he did that time I wore a jean skirt to school?" Marlene asked cracking the eggs in the bowel.

"Yes, only, if he knows you like a boy he might have a heart attack." Tifa said.

"That doesn't make sense at all! He was a boy once and you liked him and that was okay!" Marlene argued and Cloud wasn't even here to defend himself.

"Sweetie, that was completely different as far as he is concerned even though you are right." Tifa said. "I bet you'll get invited to his party, you just wait and see."

"If I do, can I get something special to wear?" Marlene asked a bit embarrassed by her question.

"Sure you can, but Marlene? If we go shopping for something special for the party…you can't tell Cloud. This has to be between you and me." Tifa warned her. She felt a little guilty about keeping such a thing from Cloud but she was protecting him and protecting Marlene. She knew how he blew things out of proportion when it came to his only daughter.

"I promise I won't tell him." Marlene said.

"I'm almost done with this section!" Denzel announced. The ice had turned to a light snow which made clearing this ice from the sidewalk that much harder. This stuff was frozen solid and both Denzel and Cloud had to be careful of the slickness.

"Good, we only have to clear it off to the door up there." Cloud said watching Denzel's progress.

"Cloud, why did you join SOLDIER?" Denzel asked as he carefully chiseled away at the ice underneath him.

"To impress a girl." Cloud answered him. Denzel laughed.

"That's the _only_ reason?"

"That was the main reason. Sure, I thought I could be like my idol too but really I just wanted her to notice me." Cloud said working on the other side of the door.

"Was she pretty?" Denzel asked resting his shovel up against his side as he tightened the hood of his coat.

"Yeah, she was. She was really pretty." Cloud said.

"Who was she?" Denzel wanted to know.

"The waffle maker upstairs." Cloud answered him. Denzel laughed again.

"It was Tifa? So it worked then. You getting her to notice you, I mean."

"No, it failed miserably. I never made SOLDIER, I broke her heart because I didn't know how to express anything to her, I never really listened to her all that much, and I made her jealous and I never meant to. And yet somehow, through all that…I got her." Cloud admitted.

"You know what I'd do if I wanted to impress a girl?" Denzel asked still shoveling.

"What?" Cloud wanted to know. He was rather amused actually.

"I'd compliment her hair." Denzel said honestly. Cloud had to make himself not laugh.

"Why her hair?" he wanted to know.

"Because, they seem to spend a lot of time with their hair. Like how Tifa yells at you when you touch hers after she dries it? It must be a lot of work and it's nice to compliment someone when they've worked so hard on something." Denzel said logically as he resumed shoveling. Cloud turned his head away from Denzel and did the unimaginable. He laughed…but not without covering his face so Denzel couldn't see. This very moment, this was why you had kids. They could certainly put things in perspective in the strangest of ways.


	8. Talk Like Barret Day

"Look at you Momma! You're like a sexy lumberjack that I'd like to bury my axe in!" Cid said commenting on Tifa's blue plaid flannel shirt and her ripped jeans. It made her blush and laugh nervously especially after knowing good and well that Marlene _had_ to have heard him say that.

"Is today talk like Barret day?" she asked as she pinned her hair on top of her head. She was referring to Cid calling her Momma.

"It is! And by the way, I'm glad he's on the mend with Marlene." Cid said.

"Me too. It's hard for him knowing that Cloud is officially her father now and that he's the one she loves but...I think things have worked out. Did Yuffie tell you about the phone message he left on Cloud's phone when he heard we got married?" Tifa questioned him.

"There is no way it could have been littered with more profanity than what my reaction was." Cid said pulling a blue chalk line along the wall. "Where is Spiky anyway?"

"Getting a tarp and some other protective stuff for the floors since you are going to be destroying our home today." Tifa said.

"Check it out Uncle Cid! Got my gloves on and I'm ready to paint!" Marlene said showing up into the already disaster of a living room decked out in her work clothes.

"Hey! That's my girl right there! Don't worry little lady, you and Momma can start painting trim as soon as we rearrange this living room." Cid promised her. It was true there was lots of rearranging to do. Although most of the living room had been packed up and moved into the hallway, and the kids' rooms, and Cloud and Tifa's room there was still furniture to deal with.

"Alright! Trim! Yeah!" Marlene said in her manliest voice possible. "Tifa, what's trim?" she whispered tugging on Tifa's arm. She laughed at Marlene.

"You will find out soon enough, honey." Tifa assured her. Denzel and Cloud came barging through the door with their hands full.

"Oh god, this is a reality isn't it?" Tifa said feeling overwhelmed by this whirlwind of a mess and realizing Cid was about to slam a sledge hammer into the wall. The worst part would be the two large portable heaters that would blow loudly and constantly since the four of them would be forced out of this part of the apartment for the next few days. Thank god the ice had melted and life had returned to normal. Marlene and Denzel had been back in school for the past three days now. Cid and the contractor would be working on this project throughout the day so Cloud and the kids would miss the majority of the pounding, the drilling, the slamming of things and the sawing. Today was Saturday and Cid projected that this expansion would be done by Friday. As far as Tifa was concerned, that was six days of sheetrock hell but it would be so worth it in the end. "Okay, Denzel cover the floors. Cloud, come help me move the couch. Marlene, move that lamp and anything else you see laying around." Tifa said.

"After that, you two grab those hammers and you can put the first holes in this wall with me." Cid said to Marlene and Denzel.

"Cid, you still haven't told us how much this is going to cost." Cloud said successfully shoving the couch and Tifa right into the door frame of the hallway.

"Come on, Spiky! You make good money! Besides, Momma is one hell of a cook. You want her to have a real kitchen don't you?" Cid asked. Cloud looked at him strangely.

"Oh, it's talk like Barret day and you are about crush me with this stupid couch! Will you please hurry up and get your end through this doorway?" Tifa said irritated that Cloud was taking what she would say was 'forever'.

"Easy Momma. Don't make me come back there and settle you down." Cid said winking at her.

"Are you…hitting on my wife? She does look fine doesn't she?" Cloud asked Cid.

"Damn fine." Cid lipped the words to Cloud knowing that Denzel was working hard with the plastic coverings.

"I swear I am going to shove this couch up your…" Tifa stopped right there because her eyes said the rest. After it was finally moved and taking up the entire hallway, it was time to bust the wall out.

"Marlene! You ready to make some dust fly?" Cid called for her.

"I sure am! Just as soon as I get over this couch!" Marlene said climbing over the couch and joining Cid in the soon to be demolished living room. He shoved a sledge hammer into her hands. Denzel already had one and was ready to pound this wall out. "Alright, you two ready? On the count of three you put those hammers through this wall as hard as you can. Do you hear me?" Cid insisted.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Tifa said still stuck behind the couch as three hammers went pummeling through the sheetrock. Naturally, Cid did the most damage. "I need an aspirin." Tifa mumbled. This was just a start.

"Hey, come on Spiky. Get over here! We gotta' have this wall busted out for the contractor." Cid said. Marlene gladly handed over her sledgehammer realizing that it was entirely too heavy for her to handle anyway. "You know Momma, you could put your fist through this stuff pretty easily. Why don't you get yourself unstuck from behind that couch and come show us a thing or two." Cid said.

"How about no. How about Marlene and I cover this couch with the other plastic and you three destroy the wall." Tifa said trying to unwedge herself from behind the couch that was turning out to be a pain in the ass very quickly. This could only mean that if any of them wanted to go down the hall it would involve climbing over the couch, or carefully squeezing oneself around the couch. "Stupid…couch." Tifa said crawling over it finally. The dust was already flooding the air as the living room wall came down in huge chunks.

This is how the rest of the afternoon went. Lots of demolition, lots of cleanup, and lots of Tifa reminding everyone to watch the hardwood floors. "Hold on, I'll go get it. It's somewhere on the Fenrir." Cloud answered Cid about something taking his work gloves off and going downstairs.

"Does he keep everything down there on that bike? That's the third thing I've asked for today that he's had to go downstairs for." Cid asked Tifa as he swept around the huge portable heat blower that was now serving to help heat the apartment. Tifa laughed.

"Cid, there is no purer love in this world than the love between a boy and his bike." She answered him. Cid got a kick out of that.

"Cloudy has always loved his bikes." Cid said.

"And he always will. That Fenrir will be around here when we are both sixty years old and it will take an act of god for Cloud to ever give it to Denzel. There are times I think he would have rather married the bike." Tifa said.

"Well Momma, he chose you instead because he knew you'd mix it up in bed and the bike would have stale moves. Denzel, you didn't hear that." Cid said remembering that he actually had to watch what he said _after_ he had already said it. Denzel laughed at Cid. Tifa rolled her eyes knowing that Denzel was smart enough to figure that out and there was nothing she could do.

"Does he still get motion sickness?" Cid asked. Tifa laughed.

"Well, not much but this summer when we went to the beach he got sick on the way home." Tifa explained. Denzel laughed again.

"Tifa gave Cloud two of my allergy pills and it knocked him out the entire way home." Denzel confessed the whole story.

"Tifa! What kind of wife does a thing like that just to get her annoying car sick husband out of the way!" Cid scolded her.

"Hey, I was not his _wife_ then!" she defended herself. "Of course, I would do it again if I had to. Dealing with a car sick Cloud is worse than being in the car with Yuffie and her asking are we there yet a hundred times." Tifa said sweeping up behind Cid.

"No Tifa, the worst is having Yuffie asking are we there yet a hundred times, Cloud with motion sickness drama, Barret swearing at everything and Vincent." Cid said.

"Vincent what?" Tifa questioned.

"Vincent just being Vincent." Cid said. Tifa laughed. It was true.

"God, you're right Cid." Tifa agreed.

The afternoon of remodeling turned in to the evening. Finally, they had found a stopping point and since the kitchen was now unusable the five of them decided it best to head out for dinner. It was also a good idea to get out of all this dust that the portable heaters were blowing around. The doors to the hallway were closed, trapping as much heat as possible into the back bedrooms but dust and debris and the winter cold was bound to creep in. It had been a nice night out away from the construction and the kids always had fun when Cid was around.

Once they had come back that night and settled in both Cloud and Tifa realized how much colder the place was with the wall knocked out. The portable heaters were noisy as well. If anyone got to sleep tonight it would be a miracle. Tifa had thrown an extra blanket on their bed since the heat in the rest of the apartment was working overtime to compensate for the open wall. They had left their bedroom door open and Cloud and Tifa were debating who was going to get up and close it. Marlene suddenly appeared with her pillow in hand.

"Can I sleep in here with you? My bedroom is really cold. I know the heat is on but…it's still really cold in there." She asked.

"Yeah come on, come over here by me." Tifa said moving closer to Cloud to make room for Marlene. Marlene threw her pillow across Tifa and climbed under the covers beside her.

"It's warm under here!" Marlene said much happier now as she laid close to Tifa. Not even five minutes had passed and Denzel could be heard climbing over the couch, pillow in hand.

"Marlene!" he said surprised that Marlene had beaten him in here. "I was going to ask to sleep in here with you. It's too cold out in the hallway and in our rooms. I know it's lame but…can I?" Denzel asked. He was constantly worried he was going to damage his masculinity by asking questions that he thought was 'babified'. Tifa laughed.

"Come on, close the door. It will stay warmer in here tonight." Tifa said.

"I can only move over like…two more inches." Cloud said. Marlene sat up.

"You lie! You have tons of room over there." She said reaching over Tifa and shoving on Cloud. "You're heavy too!" she was trying to make a place for Denzel.

"Fine, I lied. Okay, I'm moving." Cloud said rolling over farther to make room for Denzel in this warm nest. Denzel squeezed in beside Marlene leaving Cloud and Tifa on the ends.

"Marlene, you better not kick me." Denzel warned her.

"I won't unless you kick me first." Marlene said.

"This….is absolutely not going to work." Tifa said.

"Why not? It's working out fine. There's plenty of space left." Cloud said. Of course, he looked more than comfortable on his side of the bed.

"I have one foot on the floor." Tifa said.

"That's your fault for not…you know…not having one foot on the floor." Cloud said since it was the only thing he could think of.

"Fine." I'll sleep on the floor." Tifa said rolling out of her side of the bed.

"No, don't sleep on the floor. Do you really…oh yeah I guess you really don't have any room over there. Okay, now we know that you can't sleep four across in a queen size bed. I'll go sleep in Marlene's room." Cloud volunteered after seeing that Tifa had about two inches of the mattress. Tifa laid back down and threw his pillow across the room toward the door.

"Could you get rid of me any faster?" he asked her. Marlene laughed at him.

"Goodnight. I love you." Tifa said making herself comfortable again now that she had much more room.

"Yeah, we love you Cloud but we want your bed." Marlene said curling up tighter under the covers. He smiled at them.

"Goodnight. Marlene I'm gonna read your journal." Cloud said teasing her as he left.

"I don't even have a journal! So there!" she argued with him.

"Yes you do! It's that red…." Marlene put her hand over Denzel's mouth turning his words into a jumbled mess. Tifa laughed at them.

"Goodnight." She said to Cloud again before he left the room.

I apologize if there are typos! I proof-read this really quickly.


	9. Denzel's Fix, Cloud's Advice

"Not yet Momma, not yet." Cid said leading Tifa around. He had his hands over her eyes.

"Okay you tell me…" Cid pulled his hands away from her eyes.

"Now." He said pulling his hands away. Tifa gasped and put her hands over her mouth. She screamed in delight. In fact, she screamed more than she had ever screamed about anything before. Cid laughed at her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"You like it Momma?" he asked her. Tifa was nearly in tears.

"It's beautiful! Oh my god, it's perfect! It's…oh Cid. It's everything I could have ever imagined and more. It's like…" Tifa gasped as she admired the beautiful glass table. The flowers in the center of it reminded her of Aerith. "Everything is just…" Tifa was crying now.

"What's wrong Momma?" Cid said hugging her.

"I'm sorry…it' just that…I have everything I've ever wanted in my whole life and more." Tifa said hugging Cid back.

"You deserve everything you have, Momma." Cid said still hugging her. Tifa laughed and dried her eyes.

"Oh I just can't believe it, Cid! It's beautiful! The wall color is matched perfectly; the hardwood was laid without a seam. We have a real kitchen now! Thank you Cid. Thank you so much for absolutely everything." Tifa said.

"Think Cloudy and the kids will like it?" Cid asked her.

"Yes, I know they will. I can't wait for them to get home and see this. You know I took the night off tonight, right?" Tifa said.

"You gonna cook something nice, get the kids out of the apartment and screw Cloudy on that couch?" Cid asked.

"No. I'm going to cook something, get the kids out of the apartment and screw him in our bed." Tifa said. "Hey, you want to stay for dinner?" she asked.

"No, no Momma, that's okay. I'm so happy you like it. I thought you would." Cid said.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay, Cid? Cloud and the kids are going to be home soon and I'm going to go ahead and get dinner started because I want Marlene and Denzel to eat before they leave tonight." Tifa said.

"What are they in to?" Cid asked.

"Marlene is going to babysit for Vincent's girlfriends' son until around 11:00 tonight and Denzel is spending the night with a friend." Tifa explained.

"It's okay. You have a wonderful dinner with your family in your newly expanded addition." Cid said.

"You're family too Cid. Come on, just stay. You eat with the kids. Me and Cloud will eat later because that's something we like to do once a week. It would tickle them if you would stay." Tifa said. Cid sat down on the couch.

"You talked me in to it Momma. Now, what would you like me to do to help?" Cid asked.

"You can scrub these potatoes and poke them. Then put them in the oven." Tifa said.

"Yes, ma'am." Cid said quickly joining her in the kitchen.

"Look at this Cid, you and I are both in the kitchen and we aren't laying on each other. I can cook without Cloud or one of the kids hanging all over me!" Tifa said excitedly throwing wet hands around Cid. He laughed at her.

"If you want I'll lay all over you, Momma." Cid said teasing her.

"That's okay honey; just do my potatoes while I work on this chicken." Tifa said. Cid gladly helped Tifa with dinner. She was happy that he was going to stay for dinner. She knew how much he needed the company but he would never admit that out loud. Not to mention he was so good with Marlene and Denzel, which was a bit of a shock. He wasn't good with them in terms of being a parental role model; he was good with them as far as being the fun uncle that they could go to for anything. It wasn't long before Marlene and Denzel got off the bus. They could be heard coming up the stairs.

"WOW! Look at our house!" Denzel said with wide eyes as he walked through the door.

"Hey, kid!" Cid called to him.

"Whoa! There's like…a lot of room in here! Oooh look at the flowers!" Marlene said putting her backpack on the couch.

"Can you believe it's finished?" Tifa asked them.

"No! I thought Uncle Cid would bail on it for sure!" Marlene said laughing. Denzel put his backpack on the couch beside Marlene's and looked around.

"We could get an aquarium now!" he said excitedly. Tifa laughed.

"Oooh no, we have one turtle, Denzel. That concludes our pets." She reminded him.

"Aww. I'm going to go get packed for Kai's." Denzel said before leaving the room.

"Hey, put all your dirty clothes on top the washer in your room, do you hear me?" Tifa called out to him.

"Yeah!" Denzel yelled back.

"Uncle Cid, guess what I get to babysit all by myself tonight at Vincent's girlfriends' house." Marlene said.

"Alright, girl!" Cid told her.

"You take your homework over there tonight and make sure your phone is charged You can do your math after you put her son to bed." Tifa said.

"Okay." Marlene answered. Cid laughed at Tifa.

"Oooh my god, Momma listen to you! Let that girl have some fun. Marlene, leave your homework here but take your phone." Cid said completely overriding Tifa. She shook her head and laughed at Cid.

"Fine, leave your homework here sweetie." Tifa said letting Cid call all the shots. The door opened again and the sight of the completed renovation took Cloud completely by surprise.

"It's…done. Oh my god, it's done. It's…it looks great Cid. Are you…cooking…in our newly expanded kitchen?" Cloud said walking further into the new space.

"You bet I am, Spiky!" Cid said. Now, that there was no bar counter top, Cloud had to find a new place to lay his watch and his keys. Thank goodness there was a kitchen table for that.

"I'm going to change clothes. I'll be back in a minute." Cloud said disappearing down the hall.

"You're home! Can I talk to you?" Denzel asked throwing his bag down and joining Cloud, sitting on the bed.

"Yeah. How was school?" Cloud asked him.

"Good. That's what I want to talk to you about. You know how…you showed me how to fix my problem? Being picked on and all?" Denzel said.

"Yeah." Cloud answered him searching the drawer before him.

"It's not going to be a problem anymore." Denzel said. Cloud smiled at him as he finally found the shirt he was looking for.

"It's not huh?" Cloud questioned him.

"No, I actually took care of things earlier this week. But…I wanted to wait until the end of the week to make sure he didn't try anything else." Denzel laughed. "He cried when I hit him." Cloud laughed with him although he tried not to.

"He did huh?"

"Yeah. I…I hit him two times. He won't bother me or my friends anymore. I just wanted to tell you about it." Denzel admitted it.

"I'm glad you did. You all packed?" Cloud asked him.

"Yep. My bag's in the hall." Denzel said.

"Okay, I'll take you over there after you eat." Cloud said as Denzel followed him back into the living room.

"This will be ready soon." Tifa said.

"Should I even ask why Cid is cooking with you?" Cloud asked sitting on the couch with Marlene.

"Momma wanted me to stay for dinner so I'm helping her out, Spiky." Cid said.

"You're wearing a stupid shirt." Marlene said leaning over on Cloud.

"What's wrong with this shirt?" Cloud asked her.

"It's an old man shirt." Marlene, self-proclaimed fashion police said. Cid laughed at her.

"How!" Cloud asked her completely intrigued by how she might answer this.

"It just is!" Marlene answered.

"That's not a good answer. I give you good answers to your questions." Cloud said putting an arm around her.

"Come on, this is ready." Tifa said. Marlene left Cloud alone on the couch to go join Denzel at the table. Tifa joined Cloud on the couch while Cid and the kids ate. During the course of dinner Cid had volunteered to take Denzel and Marlene to their destinations for the evening so Cloud wouldn't have to get out for the evening and he and Tifa could stay in. It was nice of him to offer to do such and frankly, he enjoyed the time with them. The three of them must have been starving because they inhaled their dinner.

"You're a good cook, Momma." Cid said.

"Hey you helped too!" Tifa reminded him laying across Cloud.

"I just did the labor part. You made the magic happen." Cid reminded her. "Do you want us to clean up when we're done?"

"Just put everything in the dishwasher." Tifa said. Once they had finished dinner and put everything in the dishwasher it was getting close to the time that Marlene needed to be at Vincent's girlfriends' house.

"Let's get going you two. Hey, I'm thrilled you two like the end result in here. I'll drop them off and I will catch up with you two soon." Cid said.

"Come give us a hug before you leave." Tifa said with outstretched arms to Denzel and Marlene. Even though their hands were full, they still managed to hug Cloud and Tifa awkwardly. And out the door they went with Cid.

"If you roll off of me I'll go get _our _dinner now." Cloud said. Tifa smiled.

"This really is an ugly shirt." Tifa said realizing that Marlene had been right.

"There is nothing wrong with this shirt." Cloud said preparing a plate for both of them.

"Whatever you say." Tifa said sitting up and taking a plate from him.

"That was nice of Cid to take them." Cloud said joining her.

"He loves them so much. I just think he's not real sure how to tell him that." Tifa said.

"He does love them…in his own Cid way." Cloud said. The phone rang; so much for an uninterrupted dinner.

"Hey, put your wife on. I need to ask her a guy question." Yuffie said.

"I'm a guy, ask me." Cloud said reorganizing everything on his plate.

"Oh, please! As if, Cloud Strife! Why because you're soooo good at relationships?" Yuffie groaned at him.

"Hey, I _married_ my childhood crush, Yuffie...of course I...ignored her a lot when I should have been listening to what she was saying, managed to give my best friend's girlfriend the wrong idea about who I wanted to be with because my mind was all messed up and stuff, moved in with my childhood crush and started a business which I made her take care of while she worked yet another full time job so I could freak the hell out about myself, had a little girl living with me, had a boy living with me, freaked out some more about my own problems, freaked about the fact that I was in my twenties and had two kids, left my kids, _and_ left the woman I loved without telling her why _and_ without as much as a word...okay, maybe...maybe you're partially right...but I married her!" Cloud said to Yuffie.

"Yeah...I rest my case...put her on." Yuffie said.

"No, ask me." Cloud insisted.

"Fine, at least put me on speaker so she can hear me." Yuffie said giving in.

"Talk away Yuffie." Cloud said sitting the phone between he and Tifa. It was funny, they now had a real kitchen table yet Cloud and Tifa were still eating dinner in front of the TV.

"Okay, so you know I've been dating Jun for a few months now. Well, since it's been so cold out I haven't been running and exercising like I normally do. And well...I've gained some weight and now I'm so scared he's gonna be all grossed out and stuff if I'm naked in front of him. I haven't slept with him in at least three weeks! He's gonna think something's up!" Yuffie explained. "Oh god, did your kids just hear all of this?" Cloud laughed at her. It wasn't a discreet laugh at her concerns...he actually _laughed_ at her.

"No, they aren't here. Hold on a second...I have my own blond problem to deal with." Tifa said hitting Cloud as hard as she could. "Yuffie, you can't have gained that much weight. Besides, is it worth being with a guy who only values you for the way you look?" Tifa said.

"No, no, no! I cannot sit here and let you pass out girl answers. My turn. Yuffie can you hear me?" Cloud asked her.

"Yes." she said disgruntled.

"The reason I was laughing is because it doesn't matter how much weight you've gained. He just wants the action Yuffie! He's crazy about you, he doesn't care if you're five or fifty pounds overweight. I'm telling you Yuffie, he doesn't care." Cloud said.

"You're serious aren't you? So, you're telling me that if Tifa put on say...ten or twenty pounds you'd still want to hit that?" Yuffie questioned.

"Like a home run." Cloud answered her. "You girls are way more hung up on the weight stuff and we men that love you don't care. You have to trust me on that one 'cause I live with two girls and you live with none. Well, except yourself and that doesn't count." This was shockingly insightful. Even Tifa was impressed and somewhat aroused right now.

"Yuffie, listen to him. My answer was crap compared to that." Tifa said.

"I can't believe I am actually going to listen to relationship advice from Cloud. Thanks for that...incredible insight." Yuffie said feeling a little pleasantly surprised by this.

"That's why my hotline is always open." Cloud told her.

"Well, I know what I'm gonna go do right now. Thanks you guys!" Yuffie said before hanging up.

"Bye Yuffie!" Tifa said. She shook her head and looked at Cloud. "You are so weird sometimes…you're right…but I wish I knew where you pulled this stuff from."


	10. We're Even

Cloud and Tifa had finished up dinner and they were ready to hit the liquor bottles. Tonight wouldn't end in a drunken sloppy mess in which Tifa would wake up bruised in questionable locations in the morning but it would come close to that. Tifa was in the kitchen mixing something for Cloud.

"Hey, you said something about Marlene going to some stupid boy party tomorrow afternoon?" Cloud questioned her.

"It's not a _stupid_ boy party. It's just a boy in her class that just so happened to invite her." Tifa said sitting some other bottles out near the sink for later. She proceeded to start making her own drink.

"It's an eleven-year-old boy…that means he's stupid. By the way, Marlene tried on a sweater yesterday and said she was going to wear it to the party. I think it's slutty." Cloud said.

"You mean the gray one with the little sparkly things sewn around the neck?" Tifa asked somewhat nervously making herself a margarita on the rocks. She picked up Cloud's drink along with her own and returned to the couch.

"Yes! That's the one. Where did she even get such a slutty sweater?" Cloud asked examining the drink Tifa had made for him.

"That sweater is anything but slutty. It looks cute on her." Tifa said practically guzzling her drink before she could say anything else.

"Well, it's too tight and since she's actually wearing a bra now that makes it worse." Cloud said taking a sip of the dark liquid in his glass.

"Cloud, it's a training bra! It isn't even a _real_ bra!" Tifa said not offering to put her glass down. She had mixed it strong.

"Just so we're clear…I don't understand what there is to train but that's beside the point. When did we get that for her? It's like I've never seen it until this stupid boy par..." Cloud stopped talking and looked at Tifa. "Ooooh you bought that slutty sweater for her to wear to that stupid party because she likes some stupid boy and now she's going to come home pregnant and it's going to be all your fault." Cloud shook his head. Sure he may have jumped off the deep end just a bit…but in his mind it made perfect sense. Tifa shot her eyes sideways at him and still hadn't put her drink down. "Tifa...Lockhart...hyphen...Strife..." Cloud scolded her. "If she is going to wear a sweater that slutty you may as well put your birth control pills in her pocket! And by the way, no one cares about your hyphen. It's a meaningless little line that appears on our checks and in no other aspect of our lives! Everyone calls you Tifa Strife, everyone!" Tifa finally turned and looked at Cloud, swallowing the sugary liquid in a big gulp. She still held on to her glass tightly though. She didn't say anything for a moment.

"Well Cloud…darling…my…wonderful husband of four months, who could care less about my hyphen. I have a question for you. How does Denzel know how to throw a punch so well?" Tifa questioned swirling the ice cubes around in her glass.

"That's a great shirt by the way. Have you seen how it hugs every curve of you?" Cloud said trying to change the subject.

"I've never seen him punch anything before but the other day I was in the hall with a stack of his clothes and he slammed his fist into his pillow and uh, he looked like he had done it before." Tifa said moving closer to Cloud and disregarding everything he had just said.

"Your breasts are in my personal space, you need to back up. That's rude to be in my space." Cloud said watching Tifa nervously.

"You know, it's almost as if Denzel _learned _how to do that. Since I noticed he...didn't tuck his thumb in and there was something about the way he held his elbow...clearly not his first time." Tifa said slowly and meticulously climbing on to Cloud's lap and spitting an ice cube out into her glass.

"Is this gonna hurt?" Cloud asked her still not confessing a thing although knowing he had been busted.

"Let me see if this sounds familiar...you taught Denzel how to throw a punch, Denzel slugged that kid that was picking on him which is why he hasn't talked about being bullied anymore and you told him not to do it at school so he wouldn't get in trouble. Does that sound about right?" Tifa asked as she traced her fingers over the buttons on his 'awful' shirt.

"You bought Marlene a slutty sweater and didn't tell me she liked some horny ass boy in her class." was Cloud's defense.

"You taught Denzel how to fight and told him not to do it at school in hopes I wouldn't find out." Tifa answered. Neither of them said anything for a moment as Cloud put his fingers into the top of Tifa's jeans. He looked at her, she looked at him…both of them blinked but didn't say a word.

"Call it even?" Cloud finally said bargaining with her.

"Marlene is babysitting until 11:00, Denzel is at Kai's for the night, and there are two bottles of liquor sitting out over there what do you think?" She answered him.

"I don't get it...are you still gonna kill me?" Cloud said.

"No, stupid. You're going to fuck me senseless." Tifa said kissing him.

"If this is your way of being upset with me; I am going to piss you off all the time." Cloud said wrapping his arms around her and pushing her over on their couch. Tifa laughed and held on to him tightly.

"You should play a drinking game with me…the game is go pour me some straight tequila." Tifa said.

"Not interested." Cloud told her.

"No! No! You are not going to start that not interested shit with me! Do you have any idea how long I have put up with that line?" Tifa asked.

"A very long time." Cloud admitted kissing her cheek before retrieving her glass and going to pour Tifa her requested drink. "Hey, this is totally off topic but you know why Vincent's girlfriend is going to the doctor, right?" he asked returning it to her.

"No, not at all." Tifa said sitting up once more.

"She had a miscarriage." Cloud said. Tifa looked at him rather shocked by this news.

"What?" she asked.

"I know! That's the reaction I had. Vincent called me at work so I knew something pretty major was up. Her doctor is outside the city and that's why they are going to be gone so long." Cloud said.

"So then…" Tifa began.

"Yeah, it was Vincent's and she was about twelve weeks pregnant." Cloud explained.

"Wow." Tifa said. "God I didn't know he was even…well you know, sleeping with her."

"I know and the thing is…he's really upset about it. He really wants to have a baby with her and I can't believe this is coming from him. God, what the hell is wrong with our friends, Tifa?" Cloud asked.

"Well, honey…they managed to…create their own lives somewhere among the rubble of all our pasts." Tifa said as Cloud handed her a double shot of straight tequila. He sat down beside her and put his head on her shoulder.

"You mean kind of like we did?" he asked her reaching out for his drink that was on the table.

"A lot like that." She said swallowing the clear liquid.

"This doesn't have anything to do with anything but I'm so relieved that Denzel isn't being picked on anymore." Cloud said.

"Me too and uh…I have to say, I think you weren't entirely wrong in showing Denzel how to throw a punch. I mean, that's just one of those things that…you know…you do with a son, right?" Tifa wondered as she questioned her own logic on this.

"My dad never did. Of course…he wasn't around to do it. What do you think my mom…nah, never mind." Cloud didn't finish his sentence as he taking a drink.

"What?" Tifa asked.

"It's stupid." Cloud said.

"No it's not. I can tell. What is it?" Tifa asked sincerely.

"What do you think my mom would think of all this?" Cloud asked her. He rarely talked his mother. Maybe looking at all the pictures from Cid not so long ago flooded him memory a little too much. Tifa smiled.

"She would be so relieved to know that not only you were being taken care of but she would be so excited to know that you had children." Tifa said sincerely.

"Oh god, she would spoil them. I mean she would give those two anything they wanted. Then we would have the chore of reversing their selfish little mindsets when they came back to us after long weekends." Cloud said.

"You're mom…would be so happy for you, Cloud." Tifa said. "And she would be even happier if you got up and got me more tequila." Tifa said dangling her shot glass in front of him.

"No she wouldn't! But okay, I'll do that." Cloud said going back into the kitchen as he polished off his own glass."What else do we have in here?" He asked mostly to himself. He finally found something else in a cabinet beside the fridge. It didn't matter if it was warm. He turned the kitchen light out and handed the shot glass over to Tifa.

"Come on. Come drink in bed with me." Cloud said pulling Tifa off the couch. She turned off the TV and the lamp and followed Cloud into their room. She swallowed the shot in her hand as she dug through a drawer.

"What should I wear to bed?" Tifa asked.

"Something with lace on it." Cloud said letting the bottle hit his lips. Tifa searched around in her drawer. "Wait…why are you changing clothes? I'm going undress you anyway."

"Because I want to." Tifa said letting her soft long sleeves fall to the floor in favor of her barely there lace camisole. "Besides, now you have an excuse to keep me warm." Tifa said letting her pants fall to the floor and getting in bed beside Cloud. She took the bottle from him. "Good choice, this is strong vodka."

"You made a good choice yourself." Cloud said letting his eyes consume her. "Why you gotta do that? You have lace on the top of you and next to nothing from the waist down. "Do you even realize what a turn on that is?" Cloud asked her.

"I do now." Tifa said as she curled up close beside him and gently slid her hand up the inside of Cloud's thigh. Cloud handed the bottle over to her.

"Please tell me that Vincent is bringing Marlene home later tonight because I'm going to be too buzzed to drive." Cloud said.

"Yeah, he's bringing her by. Remember? We talked about this Wednesday." Tifa said.

"I'm sorry, my mind is listening to you but…my pants are not." Cloud admitted. Tifa reached over him and sat the bottle on the nightstand. She kissed him as Tifa pulled Cloud on top of her.

"Fuck me now…drink later." Tifa said as shoved her hands up Cloud's shirt and pulled it off of him. She loved the way his lips amorously caressed her neck. Even though she had just changed clothes, she wouldn't be dressed long. Cloud let his hands rub over her curves, savoring every line of her. His lips crept down her neck as he slid her thin straps off her shoulders. Tifa sighed as the cool bedroom air hit her bare skin. Cloud normally took more time undressing her…but not now. Her pulled her lace camisole over her head and shoved his fingers into the sides of her panties. Together, they were naked in no time. She wanted him and he wanted her; the earnesty could be felt between them. Tifa moaned as she felt Cloud hungrily take her. His warm breath hit her neck as mako blue eyes burned right through her. There was something strangely arousing about peering into the eyes of the woman you loved, especially during the act. Tifa always looked so helplessly blissful with Cloud on top of her like this.

She let her hands move in pace with him, being careful to not maul him to pieces like she sometimes did when they got too rough. And speaking of rough, she wanted him to give it to her harder, faster…and she knew that he could. Cloud was never overly verbal with Tifa when they were under the covers, but he always read her loud and clear. Tifa reciprocated this; she spoke with her hips, her hands, and the intensity of her throaty moans. Cloud never failed to give Tifa _exactly_ what she wanted. Sometimes they both got a little too excited and things happened too fast, but normally they were masters of timing.

Cloud panted her name as Tifa felt a deluge rush through her as she tilted her head back into the pillows behind her as far as she could. She shut her eyes tightly as her body gave in to pure pleasure. She could feel Cloud's heart beat against her chest. She breathlessly kissed him.

"Oooh my god…" Cloud finally said pressing his forehead into hers.

"I excite you don't I?" Tifa asked even though she knew the answer to her own question.

"More than anything." Cloud said kissing her again.


	11. The Pictures of Our Lives

"Here's another one of Uncle Cid!" Marlene said excitedly as she put it in the pile. There were at least ten small organized piles of pictures on the floor. Cloud, Tifa, Marlene and Denzel had been sorting these pictures for most of the morning. Of course this project wouldn't be complete without the presence of hot chocolate…or at least Marlene thought so. It seemed to be her winter specialty and honestly she always did a good job when she made it.

"Cloud, is this you when you were a baby?" Denzel asked handing a picture over to him. Cloud looked at it.

"Sure is. Me and mom. That's my dad too." Cloud said handing it back to Denzel.

"Let me see it. Aww, look at that blue-eyed boy." Tifa said laughing at a two-year-old Cloud.

"You're mom had really long hair." Marlene said scooting over on her knees towards Tifa.

"And I probably pulled it a lot." Cloud told her. Tifa was carefully tucking every picture she found of Aerith near the edge of the couch face down. Furthermore, she even found a few pictures of Zack of which she did the same. Sure she would let Cloud see them, but she didn't know that right now was the time.

"Here's you Tifa!" Denzel said handing the picture of Tifa in her little green dress over.

"Oh god, that's when my parents went through the bangs phase with my hair." Tifa commented looking at her atrocious circa 1987 haircut.

"Every parent puts their child through a horrible haircut phase. You two remember that because you haven't experienced that phase yet." Cloud cautioned Marlene and Denzel.

"Nuh uh! Tifa's going to let me get layers cut in the front of my hair next year!" Marlene said excitedly.

"No she's not, you're going to have a pink ribbon and bangs for the next forty years." Cloud immediately told her. Tifa just grinned and bit her lower lip as she shook her head. She was clearly staying out of this.

"Cloud!" Marlene huffed at him.

"Who's this?" Denzel asked showing another picture to Cloud.

"This…well it's an old man holding a fish. I have no idea who this is. Just put it over there." Cloud told him.

"You know what we need to go with this? Cinnamon rolls! Can I put some in the oven?" Marlene asked excitedly.

"Yeah, that's what we need with photos Marlene…sticky icing and goo." Cloud told her sarcastically. Marlene swatted at him unsuccessfully. "Go ahead and put them in. They do sound pretty good." He confessed.

"I want to help you with the icing!" Denzel said.

"Don't worry I won't do it without you." Marlene promised him as she walked over to the oven to pre-heat it.

"I like the smell of them when they're baking." Tifa said as she scanned through a few pictures in her hands.

"Oh check it out. It's Cid and Shera. Why would he give us a picture of he and Shera?" Cloud wondered showing it to Tifa.

"He probably didn't even go through this box. I'd say he just gave it to us without bothering to see if there was anything he wanted from it.

"Does Uncle Cid date Shera?" Denzel asked. Tifa and Cloud laughed. Denzel didn't know Shera by any means, however he had heard Cid talk about her at least a hundred times.

"Oh Denzel, me and Tifa put every ounce of energy into not asking Cid what he does or doesn't do with Shera." Cloud told him honestly.

"I heard Uncle Cid on the phone with her once. I heard him tell her he loved her but he said it all stupid like how Cloud used to tell Tifa he loved her!" Marlene piped up from the kitchen.

"You haven't heard Cid talk to Shera, Marlene!" Denzel accused her.

"Yes I have! It was that time we all went to his house and helped him clean out his attic!" Marlene said.

"I have never said I love you stupidly to Tifa!" Cloud told Marlene but laughed at himself nearly the moment those words left his tongue. "I can't even say that with a straight face, she's right."

"Denzel, your Uncle Cid and Shera have a complicated relationship. Honey, its hard telling if they are dating or not." Tifa explained more clearly.

"Here's another picture of him and Shera! Hey, his airship is even named after Shera! I bet he secretly likes her a lot but he just doesn't know how to tell her." Denzel said once again proving that he was smarter than his age. Marlene shoved the cinnamon rolls into the oven and washed her hands off before returning to the scattered pictures on the floor.

"Aunt Yuffie says that boys never say what they mean or mean what they say. She's says you have to pry it out of them." Marlene said sitting herself in the floor. Tifa laughed.

"Your aunt Yuffie is full of crap!" Cloud told her. "Don't you go listening to her."

"Listen to her Marlene! Listen to everything she says!" Tifa said still laughing at what Marlene said.

"Oh! Whatever to both of you! Denzel, we don't stand a chance around here." Cloud said as Marlene and Tifa laughed away. The smell of cinnamon started to fill the apartment as the rolls baked.

"I think we can get through this whole box today if we keep this up." Tifa said.

"Hey look! This is a picture of me when I was a baby!" Marlene said holding it up. There was n telling how that picture made its way into this box but sure enough it was as eight-month-old Marlene. It was amazing at how much her young life had changed since that picture was taken.

"Do you think it would be okay to give this to Barret?" Tifa asked her.

"I think so. That is, if we know where to send it." Marlene said a bit solemnly. Barret was gone so much it seemed tracking him down at a permanent address was a challenge. But Tifa knew he at least had a mailbox at the local post office he checked.

"Don't worry. We can get it to him. I'm just sure of it." Tifa assured her.

"You're going to burn those cinnamon rolls." Cloud told Marlene as the cinnamon smell became stronger.

"No, I'm not. They have…" she leaned backwards to look at the digital clock on the stove. "…seven more minutes."

"I want to get the icing out now." Denzel said getting up off the floor to open the pack of icing that was carefully tucked away in the cinnamon roll container.

"Between the hot chocolate and these cinnamon rolls all of us are going to be in a sugar coma." Tifa said.

"Bring it on. The three of us will get really hyped up and annoy you." Cloud said to Tifa.

"What, like one of you somehow doesn't annoy me any other time…mainly you?" Tifa reminded Cloud.

"Denzel is the only one in this house that finds me un-annoying." Cloud complained. "Wait, name three annoying things that I do." He looked at Tifa.

"You tap my shoulder incessantly and say hey Tifa when you have a question while I'm on the phone. You open boxes upside down and you constantly lose the television remote and ask me and Marlene and Denzel where it is. And I love you for all those things." Tifa added before kissing him. Cloud just looked at her.

"It's as if you've had that list on the tip of your tongue just waiting to rattle it off! Cloud insisted as he found a picture of Yuffie with her hands full of materia. "Look at her; she's come a long way from that sixteen-year-old material loving maniac." Tifa laughed.

"She has hasn't she?" Tifa took the picture from Cloud as Marlene ran back into the kitchen to pull the cinnamon rolls out of the oven. It was almost time to indulge in the gooey deliciousness.

"It's been a crazy month hasn't it?" Cloud asked Tifa. "Who would have ever thought we would have ever had to deal with the crap we've dealt with this month? And look at our apartment…it's finally a home isn't it?" Cloud asked as he glanced over to make sure Marlene and Denzel weren't making a total mess.

"It almost is. We need to find some place for this." Tifa said pulling a picture from the bottom of a discreetly placed stack beside her. Cloud looked at it. It was possibly the best picture he had ever seen. It didn't matter that it had been taken seven months earlier at the beach. It was perfect, with the ocean in the background, Cloud and Tifa in the sand, and Marlene and Denzel in the middle of them.

"I know I had to have taken this for granted at the time it was taken but now…I could hug Marlene's friends' mom for taking this." Cloud confessed. Tifa smiled.

"The forty suburban dad deep inside me wants to take this to work and put it on my desk." Cloud said.

"Oh please! No, you are _not_ that lame!" Tifa rolled her eyes and laughed. "Come on Cloud, your into fast bikes and loose women you don't collect desk knick knacks." She teased him. Denzel put a hot pad on the table while Marlene sat their messily iced rolls down. Denzel tore them apart and put two on a paper plate, handing the plate over to Tifa. "Thanks sweetie. Will you get us some paper towels or something?" she asked him.

"I already thought of that!" Denzel said handing the paper napkins over.

"You're too good, Denzel." Tifa told him. Denzel and Marlene sat down in the floor with their plates. They didn't dare touch any of these pictures now; at least not until they washed their hands of cinnamon and icing once they were done. The date was February 21 and they had survived.

My apologies for the slow update! Things have been pretty busy lately. I also apologize if I received any reviews in the past couple weeks and I haven't yet replied. Reviews are special to me and I try to reply to them all! This chapter is short but I have another new fic brewing in my head so I wanted to finish this up. I probably won't start working on the new fic until after the New Year but I hope that you will follow it with me! A always thanks for reading everyone!


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